Naruto Remix
by Saxyguy
Summary: Random and a little weird too! Massive OOC'ness from everyone. Later FemKyuubixKinxKurenaixOC and GaaraxKibaxItachixOC, SasuxNaru NOT YAOI! LEMON in later chaps. SAKURA BASHING!
1. Chapter 1

Update February 25, 2007 – **Saxyguy – **Sorry for the long wait! I just found me a new beta reader! Just got the first chapter back today. I'll update as I get them back. Laters!

Naruto Remix

By: Leo08 and saxyguy06

**Leo - **Well hey everyone! First off let me start by saying thanks for reading our corny fic!

**Saxyguy - **Yeah wazz… Whoa, whoa, whoa…Hold the phone, STOP! Since when is this fic supposed to be corny?

**Leo - **Since I said so. Now to introduce our cast!

**Naruto - **HI ALL! I'm the one the only NARUTO! insert victory pose here

**Sakura – **rolls eyes Thank the gods for that punches him for good measureSince when did you become the one and only! punches him

**Naruto - **rubs face Well the book is named after me so that means I'm the STAR!

**Sasuke - **Shut up you moron!

**Kakashi - **not paying attention at all; too busy reading Ichia Ichia Paradaisu

**Leo - **_WILL YOU ALL JUST SHUT UP?!_

**Kakashi - **looks up then goes back to reading

**Saxyguy – **Gods, chill Leo! You don't need to rip their heads off…

**Leo - **Yes I do!

**Saxyguy - **No you don't!

**Leo - **Yes I do!

**Sasuke – **growls Shut up and give them the disclaimer and move on so they can read the damn story.

**Leo - **Oh fine! We don't own anything from Naruto! We do however own Jade and Raid the twins! Happy now?

**Saxyguy - **Cause if we did own anything, the story would have been different…much different. I'm just a poor boy. I need no sympathy…

**Sasuke -** Oh shut up! And yes I'm happy now!

**Ronin - **pops up out of nowhere and clears throat

**Saxyguy – **Oh, right…and props to our beta for having to put up with a world full of plot holes, spelling errors and grammatical mistakes

**Ronin – **Thanks takes a bow before poofing away

**Everyone - **Enjoy the fic!

"From this day forward you are no longer mere students of Ninjutsu, but full-fledged Shinobi," Iruka stated, finally getting the class' attention. "But, among the ranks of the Shinobi, you are mere novices, lowest of the low. Your greatest challenges all lie ahead." The older ninja shifted his hands behind him, looking from each of the blank faces before him. "The next step is the assignment of official duties to you all on behalf of our village. We will begin by dividing you into three man cells. Each of which will be mentored by a Jounin, a more senior ninja…who will guide and coach you as you become familiar with your various assignments," he said, making sure his students would understand what was to come.

'_Three man cells? Sounds like two too many…' _Sasuke thought, loathing the possibility of being paired with someone.

'_It's perfect! I know they'll team me up with Sasuke' _thought Sakura, pumped with anticipation.

'_So long as I'm partnered with Sakura…I'll take anybody else…except Sasuke!' _thought Naruto, bored with the class.

"I've made the selections so that each cell's abilities would be about equal." The class cried out as they suddenly grew nervous about who they'd be paired up with. Then Iruka's voice faded from the children's ears as he rambled on about who was in each cell for several minutes. "Next, cell number seven. Haruno Sakura…Uzumaki Naruto…"

"YATTA!" Naruto shouted.

"Rats!" Sakura mumbled as she slumped in her seat.

"…And…Uchiha Sasuke!" Iruka finished.

"YATTA!" Sakura exclaimed as she jumped to her feet in jubilation.

"Bummer…" Naruto groaned as he slumped down in disappointment. He then turned angry eyes to his teacher. "Iruka sempai! What were you thinking, saddling a most excellent shinobi like myself…with THAT teme?!" he exclaimed.

The oldest in the room put his hands on his hips. "Of the twenty-seven of you, Sasuke has the best grades, Naruto. You would be the bottom of the class. The idea is to balance your different strengths…_That's_ why you ended up together."

Sasuke scoffed. "Just don't drag me down…dobe." The blond bristled at the name.

"What'd you call me?!" he exclaimed, wanting to do the other physical harm.

"Just knock it off, Naruto!" the kunoichi countered, trying to fend the boy off by beating him senseless.

Iruka sighed. '_Aww…they'll work it out. Even Naruto,' _he thought before putting a smile on his face "Ok, everyone. I'll be introducing your senior Ninjutsu instructors this afternoon. Until then, you're dismissed."

((A/N: Leo- I'll be quick. I just wanna say that in case you haven't noticed, we are mainly following the manga for now. No worries though. It'll change later…))

Elsewhere

"Ah. Kakashi-san. I have a mission for you," the third Hokage stated as he and Kakashi slipped into a small room.

"This is Naruto-san's house, isn't it?" Kakashi asked, picking up a carton from the table. _'His milk has expired'_

"He's clumsy, but you're the best choice to watch him. You have a talent for sniffing things out!" the old man said, his ever present pipe still in place at his mouth. "What's more, another member of the cell you shall oversee will be Sasuke of the Uchiha clan. Best of luck!"

'_This could be a terrible mission, but…' _"I'll do my best, Hokage-sama"

"Oh yes and there is one more thing…"

"And that is?" the Jounin asked, arching his visible brow.

"Well, you are one of our best teachers, so we decided that that you would be the best man for the job. We have a special case with a set of twins…" The village leader was met with silence.

Back to the classroom

"Hmm……." Naruto sighed looking out the door.

"Cut it out Naruto-baka!" Sakura grumbled

"Why are we the only cell…whose teacher hasn't shown up YET?" Naruto yelled, looking back into the classroom. "All the other teams have already gone off with their teachers. Even Iruka-sempai has gone!" Naruto muttered before going back to his normal shenanigans.

Sakura blinked and then yelled, "Hey! What are you up to, Naruto-baka!"

Naruto just laughed as he climbed atop a stool, putting a chalk-board eraser in between the sliding doors so it would fall on someone when they entered. "It's what he gets for making us wait!" he laughed, jumping to the floor.

"Grow up!" Sakura sighed. "I want no part of it!" On the inside, though, she was thinking '_Stuff like this is the BEST!' _

"Hmmf! No way could a superior Shinobi be caught in such a simple booby trap!" Sasuke said as someone began to open the door.

The eraser crashed down, hitting the "superior Shinobi" on the head and making a nice 'Plaf" sound.

Naruto laughed loudly…as per normal… "Gotcha! Good one!"

"I'm sorry sensei! I tried to stop him but Naruto…" Sakura mumbled, looking innocent while really thinking 'S_et him up and knock him down! That was awesome!'_

Meanwhile Sasuke sat by himself at his seat, silently contemplating the worth of the leader they had been assigned.

Kakashi, now laughing, put his hand on his chin and looked to the students. "Hmm…How shall I put this? Based on my first impression, I'd have to say…I HATE you!"

For once, none of them had a thing to say, but they all looked like they were all thinking the same thing - 'Uh-oh!'

Later

"Now, I'd like you all to tell us a little about yourselves," Kakashi stated.

"Like what?"

"You know. The usual. Your favorite thing…What you hate most…Dreams, ambitions, hobbies. Things like that," Kakashi said indifferently while shrugging his shoulders.

"Help us out here, coach. You go first. Show us how it's done," Naruto said.

"That's right…after all, you're a complete stranger to us…A mystery." Sakura quickly agreed.

"Oh…me? My name is Hatake Kakashi. I'm the kind of person who doesn't feel like talking about his likes and dislikes!" he started. "My dreams for the future are none of your business…But anyway, I have a lot of hobbies…"

"Hey…he said a lot…but all we really learned was his name," the girl of the group grumbled with a deadpan look on her face.

"Now, it's your turn. Starting with you on the right."

"Me, right? My name is Uzumaki Naruto! What I like is instant cup ramen! What I like even better is when Iruka-sempai treats to ramen at the Ichiraku noodle bar! What I hate is the three minute wait after I pour in the boiling water. My dream is to one day…" Naruto rambled on

'_He seems_ _to have nothing more on his mind than ramen…'_ Kakashi thought.

"…be a better Shinobi than Lord Hokage-sama!" he exclaimed, adjusting his new Hitai-ate on his forehead. "And then all the villagers will have to acknowledge my existence at last!"

Kakashi looked a little shocked at first but then he went back to his look of boredom thinking '_Well, hasn't he turned out interesting…'_

"My hobbies are…pranks and practical jokes, I guess." Naruto continued, not that anyone was listening…

'_I see'_ Kakashi thought while scratching his head "Next."

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. There are plenty of things I hate, but I don't see that it matters, considering there is almost nothing I do like," the "emo-prince" started. "It seems pointless to talk about 'dreams'…That's just a word…but what I do have is determination. I plan to restore my clan. And there's someone I have sworn to…to kill." he finished, not moving his glare from the older man the whole time. Needless to say, the other two members of the squad were shocked…

Expression not changing Sakura thought '_He is so cool! __♥' _

'_Sure hope it's not me…' _Naruto thought with a scared sort of look on his face.

Kakashi just stared at Sasuke thinking '_…I suspected as much…'_ "And finally…the young lady…"

"I am Haruno Sakura. My favorite thing is… well it's not a thing, it's a person. A boy…and that boy is…" She paused, thinking better of it. "Uh lets move on to my dream…" Sakura said while blushing furiously. "I hate Naruto," she said with a scowl, the blond in question looking rather crushed. "My hobbies are…"

'_It sounds as though young girls…are more interested in love than Ninjutsu…'_ he thought before interrupting. "That's enough. I believe we all understand one other. Formal training begins tomorrow."

The blond snapped to attention. "Hai! Our first shinobi mission! What will our duties be?" he asked excitedly.

"Our first project involves only the members of this cell." Kakashi began.

"Well what is it?" Naruto asked impatiently.

"Survival exercises," Kakashi finished.

"Survival exercises?" Naruto echoed.

"But why would that be a mission?" the girl asked. "Our school days were full of survival training!"

"But you'll have to survive against me. It won't be your typical practice." Kakashi stated, earning confused glances.

"Well, then, what kind of practice will it be?" the fox asked. His only reply was a snort of laughter from the Jounin.

"What are you laughing about, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura pushed, annoyed that the relevant question was being ignored.

"Oh nothing. It's just that…If I told you you'd chicken out."

"Chicken out?" Naruto asked as he cocked his head in confusion. "Why?"

"Of the twenty seven members of your graduating class, only nine will be accepted as junior-level shinobi. The other eighteen must go back for more training," he answered with an evil gleam in his visible eye. "The test we are about to perform has a sixty-six percent rate of failure."

Naruto and Sakura promptly began to freak out as Sasuke's glare got even harder.

"See? You're chickening out already!" he taunted.

Naruto sizzled in anger. "That sucks!" he exploded "We have been through hell! What about our graduation test?!"

"Oh! We wanted to eliminate all the hopeless causes from your ranks. The ones who are left are the only students who show true potential."

"Say what?!"

"In any event, we'll meet tomorrow morning on the practice field so that I can evaluate each of your skills and weaknesses," the Jounin continued. "Bring all of your ninja tools and weapons…And don't have breakfast beforehand…unless you enjoy throwing up."

The shortest of the genin shivered in anticipation. '_No way will I let this set me back,'_ he thought. '_I'll kick Kakashi-sensei's ass! _Then_ I'll get some respect! Yeah!'_

"The details of your assignment are in this handout. Memorize it…and don't be late! Oh and your other two teammates will be joining us." He handed them a some paper. '_Now to find my other two students…' _Kakashi thought as he preformed the hand seals and 'poof-ed' away to the Hokage's office.

"I take it you want to know where to find them?" the old man asked as soon as the silver haired jounin appeared in his office. Kakashi only nodded. "Well don't bother. You won't find them. Trust me, I've tried before and it's impossible. They don't have a permanent home and they refuse to stay in the orphanage. They were already told where to be in the morning." Kakashi nodded again and disappeared.

**Saxyguy-** That's it for the first chapter. Review or we won't continue to post it!

**Leo-** Any kind of review is welcome…even flames as long as they have some sort of a point. If you're just flaming us for the fun of it, I'll hunt you down and GUT YOU LIKE A TROUT! Hope you liked the story. The twins show up in the next chapter! insert magical trumpet sounds here

**Saxyguy-** shudders Freaking scary, bi-polar, weirdo…

**Leo-** sweetly …oh brother dearest!

**Saxyguy-** Head for the hills! See you in the next chapter! Later!

**Leo-** Bye! chases after Saxyguy with a chainsaw

**Sasuke-** REVIEW!

**Ronin -** walks in, blinks twice at the empty room then leaves before yelling back And you're welcome for making it read-able!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer-

**Saxyguy-** We don't own Naruto.

**Leo- **'Cause if we did, it wouldn't be the Naruto you all know and love…

**Chapter 2**

"Who the Hell are they!" Sakura asked referring to the two other ninja in the training field that morning.

The two she indicated seemed to be deep in concentration with what they were doing. The boy was doing one fingered vertical push ups while the girl balanced on her feet focusing on chakra control.

"Hey! Who the **_hell_** are you!" Naruto yelled.

At Naruto's shrill and obnoxious yell the boy looked up, lost his balance, and sent both kids tumbling to the ground.

"Well I guess that's 'the'-know-it-all maverick ninja…" the boy mumbled as he stood dusting himself off.

"I thought Kakashi Sensei already told you about us!" yelled the girl from behind the boy's back while she was making a rather rude face at the trio.

"He did but we didn't catch any names…" Sasuke grumbled in his usual cold emotionless voice.

"Fine! If you must know my name is Raid Miyuki and this is my twin Jade!" He said trying to pull the girl out from behind his back. "You should probably remember that!"

"Are you guy's identical twins?" Naruto asked with a dumbstruck face. Well that was a real dumb ass remark. DUH!

"You're not very bright are you?" Raid asked with a monotonous voice while looming over the baka who really had no chance of getting a clue.

"Shut Up!" Naruto yelled insulted for sure. He folded his arms over his hideous orange jacket looking completely stupid and of course clueless as always. "You both look different to me!" Naruto quickly replied after a moment of silence. Obviously he was trying not to sound retarded…but it wasn't working.

"Okay…now that this baka over here has rightfully earned the dumb ass title for sure…What now?" Raid questioned while blowing on his fingers and rubbing them on his shoulder in a rather self confident way and looking at the group.

"How the Hell would we know? Kakashi sensei is late!" Sakura yelled.

"You're really starting to annoy me pinky!" Raid grumbled

"My name is Sakura NOT Pinky!" she huffed.

"It's not his fault you didn't give him your name…" Jade said quietly with a glare at Sakura still behind Raid.

"Don't glare at Sakura you hag!" Naruto yelled at Jade

"You son of a bitch!" Raid yelled grabbing Naruto by the collar of his jacket "Don't you ever talk to my sister that way!" Raid then threw Naruto into the nearest tree mumbling something that sounded like bastard under his breath.

"Now, are you going to tell me your name or am I going to beat it out of you?" Raid growled at the onyx haired ninja.

"You can try." Sasuke replied, matching Raid's glare.

They both slipped into their respective stances, Sasuke with a kunai in his right hand and Raid with no visible weapons whatsoever.

Suddenly, there was a minor explosion of smoke in between the two combatants. As the smoke cleared, a silver-haired Jonin became visible.

"Mornin' folks! I'm afraid I was held up because I discovered the meaning of life in my breakfast cereal. So does anyone know what makes French Toast Crunch?" Kakashi said with is typical lying expression.

"YOU'RE LYING MASTER!" Naruto screeched.

"As ninja deceptions go, that one sucks!" Sakura yelled.

"Hey! What's going on here?" Kakashi asked as he observed the fight between Sasuke and Raid. "Save it for the exercise!" he said as he clapped their heads together.

"OW! What was that for!" They exclaimed rubbing their heads furiously t ease the pain.

"Now anyway… I set this timer to go off at noon. I have three bells. Your objective is to get the bells before your time runs out. When the alarm goes off, anyone who doesn't have a bell will be tied to those posts to watch the rest of us eat." Kakashi droned on. "Ready, set, GO!"

At Kakashi's shout, all the ninja in the clearing disappeared. All of them except Naruto.

"Let us make this a glorious battle! Worthy of the greatest ninja in Konoha!" Naruto yelled.

"The only loud ninjas are dunce ninjas."

"Shut up! I'll pulverize you!" Naruto shouted as he began to charge.

"Fine. I'll teach you your first Ninjutsu skill. The art of tai-jutsu, or the trained body." Kakashi said as he dug through one of his many pouches.

'_Trained body? Isn't that hand to hand combat? Why is he going for a weapon?' _Just as Naruto finished talking,Kakashi pulled out a small orange book. _'Huh! A book!'_

"Something wrong? I thought you were attacking."

"But… I mean… why are you… THAT'S A BOOK!"

"Yeah of course it's a book. I've been dying to find out how the story ends. The outcome won't change, considering who I'm up against."

"Why you… I'M GONNA FLATTEN YOU!" Naruto screamed as he resumed his charge.

'_Kakashi is right. This blond is a dunce.' _Raid thought as Naruto fought Kakashi. _'He hasn't even come close to hitting him.'_

Suddenly, Kakashi appeared behind Naruto, his hands forming the sign of the tiger.

"Naruto get out of there! You'll be killed!" Sakura yelled just as Kakashi started to lunge forward.

"Too late… Konohagakure village's most secret and sacred technique, ONE THOUSAND YEARS OF DEATH!" Kakashi called out as he rammed his hands forward, sending Naruto on a one way flight to the nearby river.

'_Wow. Naruto didn't even stand a chance… how are we supposed to beat him? I wish I knew where Raid was at least then we would stand some sort of a chance.' _Jade thought to herself.

'_Teaming up is useless. Everyone else just gets in my way. That and he only has four bells, so we're competing against each other here as well…' _Sasuke pondered in silence as Naruto dragged himself out of the river. _'Where's that Raid kid. He seemed pretty good…'_

At that moment Raid was preparing to ambush Kakashi, who was still reading his little orange book.

"Hyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" he shouted flinging a proverbial rain of shuriken, kunai, and other readily available sharp or pointy instruments of doom, death, and destruction.

Kakashi's one visible eye went wide. _'Wow. Raid really went whole hog on this exercise. Against one target that's a little overkill… even if your target is a jounin…' _

The weapons were only a distraction as Raid grabbed Kakashi by the head. "Prepare yourself… for KNEE TO THE FACE NO JUTSU!" He shouted as he brought his knee around, intending to smash Kakashi's face in.

This time, reading in the middle of a fight actually saved Kakashi, as he had a readily available tool to block with already in hand.

After Kakashi blocked his leg, Raid disappeared with a smirk.

Wondering what the smirk was about, he looked down to check the bells… and saw two. _'Okay. I intentionally dropped one over the booby-trap for Naruto, where'd the other one go?'_

There was another rain of weapons, this time from both Sasuke and Raid. Every single one hit their targets as Kakashi's mutilated body fell to the ground, only to be replaced with a log with a note attached.

Curious, Raid crept out to see what it said. As he snatched the note off the log he found himself lifted into the air.

At this time Kakashi stepped out of the trees, just in time for Naruto to get caught in his other trap.

"Nice trick with the genjutsu, making me think you had gotten the bell, but as the note said, your technique was good, but mine was better, and you both were the ones who got used." Kakashi lectured as he walked off.

At this point, Sakura was searching for Sasuke, while Jade was searching for Kakashi. Sakura found Kakashi as she skidded to a stop and id behind a bush.

'_He hasn't seen me. I'm safe.'_

"Sakura… behind you…"

Sakura looked around in time to see Kakashi disappearing in a swirl of leaves. She heard a noise behind her and turned around to see Sasuke sitting on the ground, looking like he had the proverbial CASE of whoopass opened on him. At this, Sakura screamed her lungs out, and then fainted.

Sasuke looked up from what he was doing at the scream. _'Sakura…'_

"The second Ninjutsu skill, Genjutsu… the art of illusion, and Sakura fell for it."

"I'm not like them." Sasuke said without turning around."

"Save your boasts until you have a bell." Kakashi said as he stood. "The strength of the Uchiha clan… I'm looking forward to it."

Sasuke just grunted in response as he drew out three shuriken and threw them at Kakashi.

"A frontal assault is wasted here." Kakashi said as he dodged the flying objects.

Sasuke smirked as one of his shuriken severed a hidden rope.

'_A trap?' _Kakashi thought as he dodged the fifteen knives flung by the trap.

Then Sasuke attacked Kakashi with tai-jutsu, attempting to grab a bell amongst the melee. As he reached for the bells, a shuriken blurred past right in front of his fingers, severing the strings the bells were on and dropping all four into his out-stretched palm.

"Well, I must admit, that was impressive teamwork Jade." Kakashi said after realizing the bells were gone.

"What are you talking about? I was aiming for you and missed." Jade said as Kakashi and Sasuke sweat dropped.

By this time Raid and Naruto had both freed themselves, ((A/N: **Saxyguy- **Actually, Raid did the freeing…)) and were lying in wait with Sakura for Kakashi to return, so they could ambush him and beat the hell out of him for what he had put each of them through.

As Kakashi walked back towards the posts with Jade and Sasuke, the rest of the team pounced. The next couple of seconds could only be described as a blur of motion, both from the ambushers and Jade. When the motion came to a halt, Jade was playing with a piece of string and the ambush party were all tied to a tree.

"What? How?" Naruto asked, a baffled expression on his normally clueless face.

"String use number seven billion eighty three million one hundred fifty thousand and twenty two; repelling a ninja ambush set by your own teammates." Jade recited.

"Boy you are a wealth of unusable knowledge." Kakashi commented.

"Hey! That knowledge was very useful thank you."

"So what are the other ungodly uses for the simple piece of string?" Naruto asked.

Jade then proceeded to take out a book about the size of the entire Encyclopedia Britannica set and threw it at Naruto. "Here. Read."

"Ooof!" Naruto exclaimed as the book flattened him.

"So I notice you no longer have the bells Kakashi sensei. Who doesn't get to eat?" Raid asked.

"I have to think about it. You all seem to have grasped the basic concept of this exercise, which was teamwork. So I really don't know, this is a first."

**Saxyguy- **So how's the first two chapters? I think they're good, but hey I helped write 'em so what do I know?

**Leo- **Yeah what **do** you know? Well anyways, advice is always welcome so leave reviews.

**Jade and Raid- **TWIN POWER!

**Leo- **(beats Jade and Raid with a frying pan.)

**Kakashi- **(Reading a little orange book) **REVIEW!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer- **

**Leo- **Well I'm bored…

**Saxyguy- **Why! Life is great! We finally posted a story! Bwahahahahaha!

**Leo- **makes a deadpan face ….What? God you are such a loser…..

**Saxyguy- **and proud of it!

**Leo- **God help me!

**Saxyguy-** We don't own Naruto we do however own Jade and Raid!

**Leo- **So hands off losers!

**Saxyguy-** right….

**Leo- **Enjoy this chappie!

**Chapter 3**

"Well where are we gonna go to eat Kakashi-sensei?"

"Ichiraku's."

"Wow! Really? That's my favorite place!" Naruto yelled.

"We know, Naruto, We know." Sasuke, Raid, and Sakura replied.

"I like ramen as well…" Jade said meekly, reminding the entire team of Hinata.

"You do?" Naruto asked, excited that someone from the team agreed with him.

"Yes I do." Jade said, wishing she hadn't said anything.

"Well I challenge you to a ramen eating contest!" Naruto shouted.

Everyone looked at Jade, expecting her to refuse while Raid just rolled his eyes.

"What! Are you afraid to lose?" Naruto shouted causing Jade's eye to twitch.

"Here we go again…" Raid sighed

"THAT'S IT! YOU'RE GOING DOWN!" Jade shouted as they entered the ramen stand.

Both Jade and Naruto sat down and began to chow down on ramen as Sakura marveled at how they seemed to inhale the food. Both Raid and Sasuke calmly chose bowls and began to eat at a more sedate and refined pace, while Kakashi pulled out his ever familiar orange book.

"So, Kakashi-sensei. Are you going to tell us who passed the test?" Sakura asked, tearing her gaze away from the spectacle of Jade and Naruto.

"I will, after they finish."

**Thirty minutes later**

Both Jade and Naruto were on their fiftieth bowl with no signs of stopping when jade stood up.

"Are you giving up?' Naruto asked.

"No. Just want to explain why I'm better than you."

"How do you figure that?"

"Well I can eat all this ramen and still keep my sexy figure!" Jade said as she struck a random attention-grabbing pose.

Sakura, Naruto, and Raid all Sweat dropped as Sasuke turned away with a blush and a bah humbug.

"I saw that blush Sasuke…" Raid whispered.

"So what're you gonna do about it?"

"Maybe nothing. Then again, I may beat you with in an inch of your life; and stop." Raid whispered menacingly as he loomed over Sasuke. By this time Jade had returned to eating.

**Two hours later**

Both Naruto and Jade had just finished their one hundredth bowl as Naruto turned to his adversary.

"Let's call it a draw. I can't eat any more."

"One more please." Jade replied. She then proceeded to wolf this bowl down with gusto.

Naruto's jaw hit the floor. "You were just toying with me weren't you?"

"Took you that long to figure it out? You really don't have any chance of getting a clue do you?" Sakura asked.

"You know Pinky… your voice really annoys me." Raid drawled.

"MY NAME IS NOT PINKY!"

"Yeah whatever. Just shut up will ya?" Jade asked. "I want to hear who passed."

"Don't tell me to shut up!"

Raid thumped Sakura in the back of the head none to gently. "Okay. I'll tell you to shut up."

"Oh you're finally done?" Kakashi asked, looking up from his book.

"Yes. Will you please tell us who passed now?" Naruto asked.

"I'll have to think on that one…"

"KAKASHI-SENSEI!" Naruto, Jade and Sakura whined.

"Fine, fine. Just never do that again. You all passed." Kakashi said with a smirk.

"REALLY?" Naruto asked, much too excited for that simple announcement.

"Is this the face of someone who would lie to you?" Kakashi asked pointing toward his smiling visage.

There was a resounding "YES!" as the entire team emphatically agreed with one another.

"Well I'm not lying. You all really did pass."

"YEAH! NINJA, NINJA, NINJA, NIN…" Naruto began to chant as Jade hog-tied and gagged him with string.

"String use number seven billion eighty three million one hundred fifty thousand and twenty three, silencing your annoying ninja teammate." Jade recited.

"You have got to teach me how to do that." Sakura begged.

"Not a chance Pinky."

"You guys do know that she wrote that book she gave Naruto earlier right?"

"So when do we get our first missions?" the ever practical Sasuke asked.

"We begin tomorrow." Kakashi stated.

**The next day**

"Are you in position?" Kakashi asked into his headset.

"Yes." Sakura answered.

"I see the target. Ten meters and closing." Sasuke replied.

"When are we gonna go?" Naruto asked.

"Almost there… just a little closer…" Raid replied.

"I have a clear path." Jade whispered.

"GO!"

At Kakashi's shout, the five genin spring into action all diving for a cat from different directions. The cat just scooted up the nearest tree; or tried to, because instead of going through with the dive, Jade lassoed the cat with a lariat made of string.

"String use number seven billion eighty three million one hundred fifty thousand and twenty four, lassoing an escaping cat to complete your ninja mission assigned by the third Hokage."

"Isn't that just a little to specific?" Sasuke asked.

"Nope."

They returned to the Hokage's tower to give the cat back. After which they split up to eat, Naruto and Jade, who had become fast friends, went to Ichiraku's, Sasuke disappeared, Sakura went home and Raid snagged something from the nearest to go place and went out into the woods. He had eaten most of his meal when he felt a presence, nothing dangerous, but there.

"You there, in the bushes," Raid began without even looking up, "You have until the count of ten to show yourself before I start throwing sharp objects. One… Two… Nine…"

"Okay! I'm coming out! Put the kunai away!" the voice from the bushes said.

After much rustling and struggling, a figure appeared before Raid.

"Oh, it's just you."

**Saxyguy- **CLIFFHANGER NO JUTSU!

**Leo- **Isn't that kinda stupid?

**Saxyguy- **No. Why?

**Leo- **Nevermind. Hope you enjoyed the fic.

**Saxyguy- **Yeah! 'Cause I wrote it all you friggin' slave driver!

**Leo- **(Beats Saxyguy with a kendo stick) Shut Up! You enjoy writing and you know it!

**Saxyguy- **(Runs away while Leo chases him, still beating him with the kendo stick.)

**Naruto- REVIEW THE STORY Y'ALL!**


	4. Character Profiles

NAME- Jade Miyuki

AGE- 15

DATE OF BIRTH- June 6

ETHNICITY- White

BODY SHAPE- skinny

HEIGHT- five foot two

WEIGHT- 98

EYE COLOR- Bright sea foam green

HAIR COLOR- silver

HAIR LENGTH- down to mid thigh

HAIR STYLE- usually up in a tight bun

TYPICAL EVERYDAY OUTFIT- baby blue halter top with a black fish net over shirt with long sleeves black cut off (girly style meaning really short) shorts. And those dorky ninja sandals that they all wear.

PIERCINGS- two ear holes, cartilage piercing on the left ear, and bellybutton

TATTOO- purple rose on her right shoulder, blue dragon on her left ankle, and a ring pattern with swirls in black and red on both middle fingers

NAME- Raid Miyuki

AGE- 15

DATE OF BIRTH- June 6

ETHNICITY- White

BODY SHAPE- skinny

HEIGHT- five foot two

WEIGHT- 117

EYE COLOR- pacific blue

HAIR COLOR- silver

HAIR LENGTH- to the shoulders

HAIR STYLE- spiky bangs up front with the rest of his hair in a ponytail in the back.

TYPICAL EVERYDAY OUTFIT- Black wife beater with a blood red short sleeved over shirt and those semi sleeve like thingys Sasuke wears, and a baggy pair of cargo jeans, and those dorky ninja sandals that they all wear.

PIERCINGS- none

TATTOO- does a myriad of scars count?

Leo- okay people here are the profiles!

Saxyguy- sorry it took so long to put them up!

Leo- ok here's the deal we want pictures to put up on a site for them but neither of us can draw!

Saxyguy- So we are having a contest!

Leo- anyone can enter we want a picture of the twins at age 12 and 18 so two pictures!

Saxyguy- we want them for the site Leo know how to upload those things so yeah

Leo- full credit will be given to the artist and a thank you will be written it to the story as well

Saxyguy- please help us out!


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer:

**Leo:** You know what?

**Saxyguy: **What?

**Leo: **This disclaimer thing gets really old REAL quick! Everyone knows that we don't own Naruto so what's the point?

**Saxyguy: **No idea

**Leo:** Jeez! You're useless!

**Saxyguy: **Whatever. Enjoy this chapter people. Troublesome woman…

**Chapter 4**

"So what kind of ramen are you going to get?" Naruto asked Jade

"I don't know…maybe pork? Who knows? I'll pick when I get there! You?

"I guess I want beef this time…" Naruto said with a thoughtful look on his face.

"So what do you think of master Kakashi? He seems like a pretty weird guy to me." Jade asked trying to come up with something to talk about. After all she had just met Naruto and it was kind of weird to her because she was used to always having Raid around

"He seems like a real big pervert to me!" Naruto yelled. At that Jade started laughing really hard. "What? What did I say?" Naruto asked but that only made her laugh harder

"You seem so care-free Naruto. I like that. You're a great guy." Jade said as she was gasping for breath. "It just seems so funny how you react to some things! You're like a hyperactive three year old." she giggled

"Is that a compliment or an insult?!" Naruto grumbled

"It's a compliment Naruto! It means I like you!" she laughed as he turned red then said "Not like that you moron!" while slapping him on the back of the head.

To Raid

"Oh it's just you." Raid said

"What? Did you expect someone else?"

"No I wasn't expecting anyone."

"Well. Let's get started. If you think this will end like last time you're sorely mistaken."

"Lee… Lee… Lee… Didn't you learn anything from our last two fights?"

"Yes. I have learned two things. One: anger is a weapon only to your opponent, and two: get in the first shot… BOOT TO THE HEAD NO JUTSU!"

Raid tilted his head slightly back to avoid Lee's speeding foot. "You missed. Now prepare yourself. 'Cause I won't hold back."

Over to Sasuke

'_What am I doing here?' _Sasuke thought as he snuck closer to Ichiraku's. _'Whew. Raid's not around. Now I can spy on Jade without being caught.'_

"Sasuke? What are you doing?" Sakura asked.

"YAAA!" Sasuke yelled as he jumped a good three feet in the air. He landed on his ass, clutching his chest. "DON'T DO THAT TO ME!" he yelled as he stood up and spun to face Sakura.

"Sasuke, don't be mean! I only asked what you were doing!" Sakura whined with tears in her eyes.

"What the hell is going on here?" Jade asked as she came up behind Sasuke.

"YAAA!" Sasuke yelled as he jumped again. He leapt up into a nearby tree and crouched on a low branch. "HA! Let's see someone sneak up on me now!"

"Sasuke, why are you in a tree?" Kakashi asked from behind Sasuke, causing Sasuke to fall out of the tree.

"Well as long as we're all here, let's all get some ramen!" Naruto chorused.

"I hate you all! I want you to know that!" Sasuke yelled as he got up and dusted himself off.

Back to Raid and Lee

"So are you going to start aiming for me or just continue to fan the air?" Raid asked as he dodged Lee yet again.

"HOLD STILL AND FIGHT YOUTHFULLY!"

"Lemme think on that a second… Umm… No." Raid said as he threw a few kunai Lee's way.

'_Curse you Raid with your eternally hip attitude!' _Lee thought with flames in his eyes. "YOU FIGHT UNYOUTHFULLY! YOU MUST FACE ME FIST TO FIST TO REIGNIGHT YOU FLAMES OF YOUTH!" Lee shouted as sprung away from the kunai and into a tree. He then charged back at Raid.

'_This is getting really old…'_ Raid thought as he dodged Lee's charging form yet again. _'I can see why Neji doesn't like him.'_

"What is going on here?" Gai asked as he appeared out of nowhere.

"We're playing tag. Lee's it." Raid answered.

'_Curse you Kakashi for passing on your eternally hip attitude to your student!' _Gai thought with flames in his eyes.

"GAI-SENSAI" Lee shouted, as he dashed forward and all but tackled Gai.

"LEE!" Gai shouted.

'_Oh no…' _Raid thought as he saw the first shimmering of the only genjutsu Gai and Lee could accomplish. It was completely unexplainable, even by Kurenai, who had studied genjutsu for most of her ninja career.

"GAI-SENSAI!" Lee shouted, tears flowing down his face.

"LEE!" Gai shouted.

And the genjutsu was complete. Raid found himself on a beach with Lee and Gai. The sun was setting and the waves crashed against the rocks. All in all, it was a pretty dramatic scene. Raid was sickened by the smut of the two spandex clad look-alikes.

'_I've got to get out of here!' _Raid thought as he turned and fled.

'_Anywhere is better then there… Except here…' _Raid thought as he cleared the edge of the genjutsu… and fell off the cliff he had been unknowingly hurtling toward. _'This could hurt just a bit…'_Raid thought calmly as he hurtled toward the earth.

Back to Jade

"Hey Jade, where did Raid go?" Naruto asked.

"Oh… well… I don't really know…"

"Huh? He's your brother and you don't know where he eats lunch?" Sakura asked.

"No I don't. but he always comes back muttering about idiots in green spandex with bushy eyebrows…" Jade said while rolling her eyes

Again to Raid

As he fell, ((A/N: **Saxyguy-** that's one big damn cliff…)) Raid, calm as ever, tied thin ropes to some of his kunai. Once he finished, he wrapped the ropes around his wrists and prepared to stop his descent in the trees. When he fell past the first branches, he threw all of the kunai he held simultaneously, nailing them all into the trees and branches around him. He came to a sudden and bone jarring halt at the end of the ropes and hung there for a few seconds as he grimaced in pain.

"Owwww…" As he recovered he looked around finally noticing how high off the ground he still was. "Well, damn. Now what?"

As the adrenaline of the fall faded, Raid grimaced again. _'I… must've… dislocated… my… wrists…'_ Raid thought as he blacked out and hung limply, looking for the all the world like he had been crucified.

Back to Jade

"SHIT!! FUCK THAT HURTS!!" Jade suddenly screamed, startling everyone else in the restaurant.

"Jade? Jade! Are you okay?!" Sakura asked.

Jade gave Sakura a weird look, then suddenly booted Sakura in the face. "DOES IT LOOK LIKE I'M FUCKING OKAY YOU SICK AND TWISTED PINK BITCH!? SHIT!" Jade screamed as she clutched her wrist.

"Jade? What's wrong?" Naruto asked, wary of ending up like Sakura, who was rolling on the floor covering her face with her hands as she sobbed in pain.

"Owwww… Something happened to Raid…"

Whadaya mean something happened to Raid? How the hell would you know?" Naruto asked getting bolder. "How on earth would you possibly owwwwww…" Naruto groaned as Jade's knee met his crotch.

"owwwwwww damn this hurts! I know something happened you moron because I can feel it!"

"What do you mean you can feel it?" Sasuke asked maintaining his distance not wanting to end up like his other teammates.

"When Raid gets hurt bad enough to cause him to pass out I feel it and vise versa. We feel each others pain. We're twins what do you expect? Owwwwwwww……."

"oh…so um….now what do we do?" he asked

"we find him" Jade answered as if were the simplest thing in the world

**Saxyguy – **And that's the chapter folks tune in next time to see what happens when they find Raid!

**Leo – **You're awfully cheerful.

**Saxyguy – **I'm high off helium!

**Leo - **Beats Saxyguy with a miniature hammer You fool! That has to be illegal!

**Saxyguy – **Ow! Its not illegal!

**Leo – **It's still stupid! Chases Saxyguy off into the sunset.

**Gai - With thick layering of unexplainable genjutsu Review and your flames of youth will burn brighter!**


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer:

**Saxyguy – **Do I really have to write out the disclaimer every time?

**Leo –** Not really but if you don't, lawsuits may ensue.

**Saxyguy –** Well seeing as how I'm just a poor boy…

**Naruto –** …I need no sympathy…

**Sasuke –** …Caught in a landslide…

**Kiba –** …No escape from reality…

**Leo –** Not that it isn't cute, but you guys did that back in chapter 1

**Saxyguy –** We did? Oh well we don't own Naruto for all that I wish I did…

**Chapter 5**

As it turned out, finding Raid was the easiest thing in the world. They walked outside of the ramen stand and there he was, hanging from a nearby tree.

"Damn. What happened to him?" Naruto wondered.

"Shit on a goddamn cracker… RAID-ONIICHAN ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" Jade yelled up to his still form. She got no answer, so she leapt up to his unconscious form, the rest of the team followed suit.

"Damn he looks worse for wear…"Naruto muttered as he poked him in the cheek.

They carefully cut Raid out of the tree, and took him to the hospital.

((A/N **Saxyguy – **MINOR TIME SKIP NO JUTSU!! **Leo - **Crunches watermelon onto Saxyguy's head))

A few days later, in the hospital

As Raid awoke, the first thing he realized was that he wasn't in his apartment. ((A/N **Saxyguy – **removes watermelon from head By the way, this was in the background but Jade and Raid bought an apartment with the money from their first few missions.)) The second thing he noticed was that Naruto was leaning over** very **close to his face.

"Back off baka boy. I'll cut you man." Raid said in a gangsta voice as he leapt from the hospital bed to the nearby window sill drawing a kunai from no where and pointing it at the blonde baka otherwise known as Naruto.

"Whoa, whoa chill man!" Naruto said as he stared at the kunai Raid was currently menacing him with.

"Way to notice the rest of us Aniki (Older Brother)." Jade said.

"Oh. Hi." Raid said as he scratched the back of his head.

"So how are you feeling?" Sakura asked.

"Hey! Did nobody else just see him threaten my life?" Naruto asked.

"I'm feeling better. Thanks for asking Pinky-chan." Raid said completely ignoring Naruto.

"Hey does anyone care that I was almost killed?" Naruto asked, desperate for some kind of a response.

"Shut up dobe." Raid and Sasuke said at the same time.

"That's it! I'm sick of your superior attitude! You're worse than Sasuke-teme!" Naruto shouted pointing at Raid.

"You're not even on my radar you blonde buffoon."

"Let's take this outside."

"Be my guest I'll meet you on the roof." Raid said as he vanished.

On the Roof

Naruto and Raid stood across from one another on the roof of the hospital. There were some sheets drying on the line in one section. ((A/N **Saxyguy – **Think the first fight between Sasuke and Naruto.)) Jade and Sakura stood off to one side looking worried, Jade because of possible lawsuits, while Sasuke balanced on the fence lining the roof looking completely indifferent.

"I'll be nice and let you go get your weapons." Naruto said chivalrously.

"I won't need them. Or have you forgotten my specialty?" Raid responded looking board.

"No I haven't! I like my opponents at full strength."

"If I went all out you'd die."

"You underestimate me! Now it'll cost you!" Naruto shouted as he charged across the rooftop.

Just as he reached Raid to make his first strike, Raid simply vanished.

"Hey! No fair!" Naruto exclaimed after realizing Raid was gone and looking around. He spotted Raid on the other end of the area making hand seals.

"I don't know what you're planning on doing but it won't work!" Naruto yelled as he closed distance with Raid rapidly.

"You really don't have any chance of getting a clue do you? I don't do Ninjutsu!" Raid informed Naruto, making sure his point stuck by accentuating it with a boot to the face, which sent Naruto back across the roof and through the sheets. "The seals were just to get you to come to me dobe."

Naruto chose not to respond with words but instead a volley of kunai.

"Gee you are dumb. You used weapons on the weapons specialist." Raid said as he caught the first two kunai and used them to deflect the rest. "You do realize that now that you've given me weapons, if you were a true enemy you would be as good as dead, right?" Raid asked as he fell into his stance; which looked similar to Neji's eight trigrams stance, only with weapons.

A short time later

Naruto was lying on the ground utterly exhausted. _'I'll never beat him on my own, but maybe I can use the fox! Oi! Kyuubi! Help me out here!'_

'_**No.'**_

'_Why not?'_

'_**Two reasons…'**_

'_And they are?'_

'_**One, Kyuubi isn't actually my name; it's more of a title. And two you're being foolish.'**_

'_Wait if your name isn't Kyuubi then what is it?'_

'_**Well I owe me five bucks now. He actually asked. And my name's Lyndsey, Lyn for short.'**_

'_What kind of guy's name is Lyndsey?'_

'_**I never said I was male.' **__Lyn responded as she stepped out of the shadows to reveal a young girl appearing to be the same age as Naruto with flaming red hair, fox ears, and nine tails._

'_So you're a girl… NANI? I'VE HAD A GIRL FOX LIVING IN ME ALL THIS TIME AND I NEVER KNEW?'_

'_**Well you are kinda dense sometimes… oh by the way tell that guy trying to get your attention that I think he's cute.'**_

'_Nani? You do not like my teammates!'_

'_**Hey he's cute but you might want to show some activity soon otherwise they might begin to believe that he beat you into a coma.'**_

'_That's it when I get a chance I am getting you out of my body.'_

'_**WOOT! FREEDOM!'**_

'_Damn fox…' _Naruto thought as he turned his attention to his surroundings.

"Naruto-kun? Are you okay?" Jade asked.

"Wow Jade-chan! You actually care!"

"Well… no not really but I do care about legal issues that arise from beating people senseless. Unlike Aniki over there." Jade said pointing over to Raid who was currently struggling against the insane amount of string Jade had used to tie him up with. "String use number seven billion eighty three million one hundred fifty thousand and twenty five: preventing your ninja Aniki from killing your ninja teammate who stupidly challenged him to a fight."

"Where do you come up with all of those?" Naruto asked.

"Didn't you read the book I gave you?"

"Ummm… No?"

"If you had then you'd know wouldn't you?" Jade said as she walked over to Raid. "Are you going to behave now?"

"Yes Anee-chan." Raid said as Jade untied him.

"You guys finished?" Kakashi said as he appeared in a puff of smoke.

"Hai Kakashi-sensei." Naruto and Raid answered.

"Good because the Chuunin exams are fast approaching and we need to train." Kakashi said with one of his famous eye smiles.

**Saxyguy – **Woot finally done with the chappie!

**Leo – **Took you forever!

**Saxyguy – **Gomen! I'm in the middle of moving out of my current house and don't have much time to write! I'll update as often as possible! By the way, the next chapter will skip the vast majority of their training ('cause I don't feel like writing it XD) and will start with the team meeting Gaara.

**Leo - **beats Saxyguy with a Playstation 3 Baka! You have a responsibility to all our readers.

**Saxyguy – **Wait!

**Leo – **What?!

**Saxyguy – **If you can afford a Plaqystation 3 why are you beating me with it?

**Leo – **Shut up! Beats Saxyguy again.

**Lyn – **Review or when I escape Naruto you'll be on my list!


	7. Chapter 6

**Saxyguy – **Okay. Now that I'm finally back on track…

**Leo** – Biffs Saxyguy You have a responsibility to our dedicated readers to continue to update on a regular basis!

**Saxyguy – **Wait! We have dedicated readers?

**Leo – **Yes! You know the people who have been bugging you almost nonstop to update or they'd kill you?

**Saxyguy – **Oh those people… I thought that I owed them all money…

**Leo – **No you don't baka boy! Not even you could rack up that much debt! Now give the disclaimer and start!

**Saxyguy – **Okay, okay, geez… in a small voice I don't own Naruto. This chapter will begin with the first Chuunin exam.

**Chapter 6**

"You're all here. Good." Kakashi said as he looked over his team.

"Sensei, what would have happened if we all hadn't come?" Sakura asked.

"Well I wouldn't have been able to let the rest into the exam." Kakashi said with one of his famous eye smiles.

"Well we're all here can we go in now?" Naruto asked.

"Sure. Do your best and try not to die." Kakashi said as he stepped aside.

Inside the exam room

As son as team 7 entered the exam room, they were ambushed by teams 8 and 10. Kiba shouted a greeting as he walked up being his typical loud and annoying self. As Naruto opened his mouth the return the greeting Raid jumped on his back and covered his mouth sending them both to the floor.

"Don't even think about it you blonde baka. Cant you sense the atmosphere?" Raid whispered. "With this many nin all this tense, if you and Kiba-kun start with the shouting people are gonna jump us all. Now I don't particularly care for you but I need you intact for the exam, so try to stifle the bakaness and maybe I'll come to respect you a bit."

_**'Ohh. He's strong and smart, and really cute too... You should tell him that.'**_

_'Ero-kitsune... and what is that going to sound like __coming from me? I'm not gay and I don't want him thinking that I am!__'_

_**'What about Sasuke?'**_

_'KITUSE NO BAKA! That's different.' _Naruto thought as Raid let him up, and Jade silently stood behind Sakura.

_**'Sure it's different. And I'm a pink fluffy bunny.'**_

_'Holly shit you are?!'_

_**'I have been shocked into silence by the utter stupidity of that remark. Now get on with the exam.'**_

After the first test

"How did we all pass? Really I mean Naruto-baka should have failed us at least." Sakura wondered.

"Honestly, it's Anee-chan's fault Pinky-chan." Raid said.

"How is she responsible for all of us passing the test?" Sasuke asked curious.

"Well I figured Pinky-chan would have the best shot at knowing all the answers to all the written questions, so while everyone was distracted by Aniki and Naruto-kun, I wrapped her up in very fine string and used the vibrations along the string from her movement to figure out the answers. After I had all the answers, I attached a string to a mirror and stuck it to the ceiling with some kunai and used the string to adjust it so that Aniki could see my answers. Then he took care of the rest. That makes this string use number seven billion eighty three million one hundred fifty thousand and twenty six, cheating off your super smart but mostly useless ninja teammate to pass a written exam." Jade explained at length as they walked toward the forest of death.

As Jade finished up her explanation, they arrived at the forest of death. As soon as everyone was assembled there was aloud bang and a cloud of smoke appeared in front of the main gate to the forest. The smoke cleared to reveal a woman with lavender hair wearing a trench coat, miniskirt, and combat boots.

"Alright everyone, listen up! My name is Anko and I'll be the proctor for the second test!" the woman said as she began to hand out forms. When everyone had one she held up two scrolls, one with the kanji for heaven the, other with the kanji for earth, and continued. "These are your objectives! When you finish filling out you consent forms, you will walk into this tent and be given one of these two scrolls and assigned a gate number. Your objective is to get the other scroll and get to the tower in the center of the forest you only have five days! If you open your scroll, you will fail! If you arrive at the tower without both scrolls and all of your teammates then you fail! So what are you waiting for? Start filling out those forms!"

At gate 7

Jade, Raid and the rest stood tense as they waited for the signal to start. The assistant proctor in charge of watching their gate suddenly put a hand up to his ear and turned towards them.

"Hajime!"

At the proctors shout, the entire team leapt into the forest and sped off into the darkness.

**Leo – **So anyway that's the chapter, tune in next time for…

**Saxyguy** – w3 l4c/ b33r!

**Leo – **Have you been drinking again? And why are you speaking in l33t?

**Saxyguy** – PH34R MY L4C/ OF B33R!!!

**Leo – **What have I told you about writing while under the influence?

(**Saxyguy – **Seriously folks I am almost drunk right now and that doesn't bode well for the first half of the next chappie…)


	8. Chapter 7

Saxyguy – 3y3 4m v3ry 50rry, But 3y3 c4n n0 l0ng3r writ3 thi5 1337 5tory.

Leo – And why is that? If this is another one of your baka moments then I can't be held responsible for what I do to you.

Saxyguy – Th3 r3450n i5 5impl3, 3y3 l4c/ b33r.PH34R TH3 3VIL Th4T I5 TH3 L4C/ 0F B33R!

Leo – Pardon me while I kill my coauthor.

Scene Censored. Please Stand By

Saxyguy – D4 P4IN 3Y3 N33D M4 PILZ!

Leo – We don't own Naruto. And I'm about to disown this baka. (Points to a heavily bleeding Saxyguy)

(Saxyguy – and for those of you wondering, yes I have been reading WAY too much Megatokyo. If you don't know what that is go right now to www (dot) megatokyo (dot) com without the spaces of course and start reading. Come back in a week when you're done.)

Chapter 7

Noon of the first day

"We've been at this for hours and we still haven't found anyone. Let's take a break." Naruto whined

"No." Raid and Sasuke replied at the same time.

"Why not?"

"Anee-chan. You field this one. I might hurt him for his bakaness."

"Look. The reason we can't stop is with you and Pinky-chan's luck, the second we relax even a little, we'll get ambushed."

Just as Jade finished speaking, Raid tackled her from the branch she had been standing on; while Sasuke did the same for Naruto. Sakura followed them all to the forest floor. When they looked up they saw shuriken and kunai perforate the foliage where they had just been standing. The entire team was on high alert as they looked around for their attackers. The forest was quiet and just as they started to relax, a hurricane force gust of wind blew through, sending them all skyward.

Raid nailed a kunai trailing wire into a nearby tree and Jade lassoed his foot with string. Sakura latched onto a tree with chakra.

Sasuke and Naruto weren't nearly as lucky.

Sasuke latched onto a tree like Sakura, but unlike Sakura he threw a kunai with wire attached after Naruto.

As Naruto tumbled into the sky, he saw a glint of light pass right in front of his nose. He lashed out and snagged the wire trailing after the kunai.

Sasuke braced as much as he could, but it wasn't enough. When Naruto hit the end of the wire, Sasuke was jerked after him.

"Some rescue!" Naruto shouted as he pulled Sasuke within arm's reach.

"Better than flying off on your own!"

"Not by much!" Naruto shouted as he grasped Sasuke's wrist in an attempt to avoid separation.

_**'To bad Raid didn't come with instead.'**_

_'Please tell me you are not seriously crushing on him. No wait we'll talk later.' _Naruto thought as he noticed the ground approaching very fast.

Back with Jade Raid and Sakura

"Itai!" Raid exclaimed as he massaged his ankle. "Anee-chan did you really have to anchor yourself to me? You couldn't have used one of the surrounding trees like Pinky-chan?"

"Nope. I couldn't use one of the trees because I trusted you would stay put a lot longer than any of the nearby trees. Jade said matter of factly as she coiled up the string she had used.

"Hey! Where did Sasuke-kun and Naruto-baka go?" Sakura asked as she looked around for them.

"Probably blown away. We had better find them. Anee-chan; Pinky-chan, lets go!" Raid said as he leapt off in the direction they had flown, followed by Jade and Sakura.

With Sasuke and Naruto

When Naruto regained consciousness, he noticed one very important thing immediately. He was stuck. Completely and utterly stuck; stuck to the point that he couldn't even move his fingers. The next thing he noticed was that the emo king Sasuke was laughing; at him.

"What's so funny Sasuke-teme?"

"Look at yourself! You're wrapped up like a birthday present!"

Just then Naruto looked down at himself and realized… Sasuke was right! He didn't know how it had happened, but he seemed to be completely wrapped in vines; from his ankles to his neck.

At that moment, both Naruto and Sasuke felt something very powerful approaching very fast.

"Hurry up and cut me loose Sasuke-teme! I can't fight if I'm tied up!"

Sasuke quickly cut Naruto loose; not to fight but to run. When Sasuke grabbed Naruto and turned to flee, a grass nin appeared in front of them holding up a Heaven scroll.

"It's the one you need right?"

"How did you know?" Naruto asked as he drew a kunai.

"Better yet, who are you?" Sasuke asked as he drew out his own kunai.

"I am one of the three legendary Sannin. I am Orochimaru, Sasuke-kun."

"How do you know me?" Sasuke asked, visibly shaken.

"It doesn't matter, Orochimaru said as he wrapped his freakishly long tongue around his scroll and swallowed it. "Now about our fight, how about… TO THE DEATH!" he hissed as he released a massive amount of killer intent.

Both Sasuke and Naruto were cast into very explicit genjutsu.

Sasuke's depicted his humiliating defeat and eventual death at the hands of Itachi; also highlighting his failure to revive his clan.

Naruto's was much more involved. First it showed him the horrible deaths that awaited all of his precious people. Then it showed how everyone else secretly hated him for having the Kyuubi sealed in him. Finally, it showed him; broken and alone, casting himself from the Hokage monument to escape it all.

Both of them threw up at the same time.

_'That was so real. I felt it, smelled it, saw it. It was like I was really living it…'_

_**'Kit! Pull yourself together! You and Sasuke have to get away!'**_

Naruto slowly looked up just in time to see Orochimaru lazily throw two kunai at both of them. Just before the kunai impacted, Lyn forced one tail's worth of chakra into Naruto, causing both kunai to deflect harmlessly to the side.

_**'Wake up kit! I'm not ready to die yet and I doubt you are either!'**_

The massive shock to his chakra system, combined with Lyn yelling at him woke Naruto from his daze.

_'Sasuke-teme is still __helpless;__ I can't get away and carry him, so I have to fight.'_

_**'You'll die!'**_

_'__At least I'll die protecting something. Lend me your chakra.'_

_**'This is the most I can give you without killing you.' **_Lyn told him as she forced three tails worth of chakra into Naruto's system.

As Lyn's chakra flooded his system, Naruto hunched over, becoming more feral looking. He closed his eyes and threw his head back and howled in fury as he nails lengthened into claws and his hair shot through with red. He growled in pain as red chakra leaked out of the seal; covering his body, leaving him with the chakra outline of a fox with three tails swaying behind him. His eyes snapped open, revealing red, slit pupils, and he glared at Orochimaru in hatred.

Orochimaru laughed as he fell into a taijutsu stance. "Boy, you may actually make me break a sweat."

Naruto lunged at him, only to be swatted away.

"I'll give you credit," Orochimaru hissed, "You're fast. Just nowhere near fast enough!"

Naruto charged again with a roar. As Orochimaru moved to swat him away again, Naruto lashed out with his chakra tails.

Orochimaru dodged two of them, but the third snatched his wrist and hurled him at a tree. He slammed into the tree feet first and stood there, defying gravity.

"Good. But not near good enough."

With Jade Raid and Sakura

As the three nin leapt from tree to tree, they saw a huge cloud of dust pillar up, accompanied by a massive amount of killer intent.

"That's probably where they are. Lets go!" Raid shouted.

"Hai!"

Naruto

Unfortunately, the huge cloud of dust was caused by Orochimaru slamming Naruto into the ground. The shock drove him out of his feral form as he blacked out.

Fortunately, Sasuke recovered just as Naruto passed out. He glanced over and saw Orochimaru holding a helpless Naruto up with his tongue. He performed a few hand seals, and before Sasuke could do anything, lifted Naruto's shirt up and slammed his hand into Naruto's stomach. There was a large cloud of smoke followed by a loud pop.

Orochimaru's POV

_'What was that popping noise? My only intent was to seal his chakra… If this boy is who I think he is; and he is__, this could get very bad… and why is his chest squishy all of a sudden? OH MY GOD!' _Orochimaru thought as the smoke cleared.

Normal POV

"What did you do to Naruto?!" Sasuke shouted as the smoke cleared.

"Well that was unexpected…" Orochimaru said with a sweat drop.

When Sasuke got a good look at Naruto, what Orochimaru had done was painfully obvious. Naruto was now a long haired, voluptuous, female version of himself. Sasuke blushed when he realized how hot Naruto was as a woman.

Orochimaru threw Naruto to the side and turned to face Sasuke.

"You'll pay for harming my teammate! Prepare yourself teme!" Sasuke shouted as he activated his Sharingan.

Sasuke launched himself up into the air, drawing out a kunai and some shuriken. He threw the shuriken and while Orochimaru dodged, he pulled out a small demon wind shuriken and some ninja wire. He held one end of the wire in his teeth and looped it through the shuriken and tied the other end to the kunai. As Orochimaru turned to face him, Sasuke threw the shuriken, which Orochimaru easily avoided, spun around behind a tree and threw the kunai.

At the last second, Orochimaru realized Sasuke's ploy and spun around to catch the Shuriken in his teeth.

Sasuke smirked as he formed the seal of the tiger over the wire and inhaled.

_'This is for Naruto!'_

With that thought he exhaled and sent flames racing down the wire.

Jade, Raid, and Sakura arrived just in time to see Orochimaru's face burst into flames.

Sakura leapt down next to Sasuke and started going on about how cool he was.

Sasuke shoved Sakura out of the way as Orochimaru stretched out his neck to bite Sasuke… or he tried to at least.

Orochimaru was forced into a Kawarimi no Jutsu by the by the amount of pointy objects of doom Raid had thrown at him.

While Raid distracted Orochimaru, Jade lassoed Sakura and jerked her back into the trees with her, and Sasuke grabbed Naruto and bolted, the rest of team 7 hot on his heels.

Later

After they stopped running, Sasuke explained who had attacked him.

"And that's what happened. Any questions?"

"Yeah. One." Raid answered

"Shoot."

"Why is Naruto in his Oiroke no Jutsu form?"

"Well… yeah… umm… as far as I know, Orochimaru did it."

"Is it permanent?" Sakura asked.

_'Kami I hope so.' _"I don't know. We'll just have to wait and see."

With that team 7 began to set up camp.

Naruto's Mindscape

Naruto was currently freaking out.

"HOW COULD THIS POSSIBLY HAVE HAPPENED?!" 'he' yelled at Lyn hysterically.

**"Don't look at me I'm just as stumped as you are. I will say one thing though… you do make an attractive woman." **The Kitsune responded with a smirk.

"You aren't helping at all. Next you're gonna tell me the break the seal so you can get with Raid."

**"Not possible. The way we are right now, breaking the seal would kill us both."**

"How do we do it then?"

**"Well if we compress my chakra into a smaller space, it would make it possible for a normal nin to pull me out…"**

"So you're saying I have to shrink?"

**"Yup. To about six inches tall."**

"You have got to be kidding me."

**"Afraid not. It's the only way, short of having another demon pull me out and they're all otherwise occupied."**

"Otherwise occupied?"

**"What makes you think you're the only kit with a demon in you?"**

"Wait. There's more people like me?"

**"Yes. Eight to be exact."**

"So anyway, after we solve the problem of getting you out of me, we can tackle the problem of getting Raid into you…"

Lyn blushed a deep scarlet at that comment.

"… and then we can go help the other kids like me." Naruto finished. When she looked up she saw that Lyn was blushing.

OH MY GOD! YOU WERE ACTUALLY CRUSHING ON HIM THIS ENTIRE TIME? I THOUGHT YOU WERE JOKING!"

**"I don't actually joke all that often…" **Lyn responded in a small voice.

"You do realize he doesn't even know you exist right?" Naruto said practically.

**"And when has that ever stopped you Naru-chan? Speaking of which, how will you handle this new development if it's permanent?"**

"You do realize I'm bi right?"

When Naruto looked over, she realized Lyn's nose was bleeding.

"Don't tell me, you're thinking of me, as a guy, doing something with Raid or Sasuke."

**"Okay. I won't." **Lyn said as she staunched the flow of blood form her nose.

"Ero-kitsune! You're worse than Kakashi-sensei!"

**"After this exam, you and Jade ****look for a man named Jiraiya."**

"Why?"

**"So you can learn some ****Fuuinjutsu**** and to prove that there are bigger perverts than me and Kakashi."**

**Saxyguy – **Yeah I know what you're thinking. 'He finally updated' right?

**Leo – **Took you long enough.

**Saxyguy – **Hey! I had my own problems.

**Leo – **Like what?

Raaven walks in

**Raaven – **Well there was the trouble with the police, then all the drunken partying… OH! And don't forget the fact that you got evicted and lived out of your car for two weeks!

**Saxyguy – **Did you really have to say all that? She didn't know about it.

**Leo – **Baka! Beats Saxyguy with an X-Box 360

**Saxyguy and Leo – Review or we'll sic Jade on you!**


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Saxyguy – Sorry for the long wait for the update folks, (I would be amazed if anyone was actually reading this story regularly…) but some things came up. I actually have the next couple of chapters prewritten I just have to type them and throw them up. So if I still have any fans out there, lemme know! Review and it will inspire me to update more often! I promise!

CLANG! Saxyguy falls to the floor next to the large metal bowl that was thrown at him

Leo – Shame on you! Holding chapters hostage for reviews. You promised yourself you'd never do that

Raaven – I don't think he can hear you… takes a drag from his ever present cigarette

Leo – Well then you give the disclaimer!

Raaven – Fine, fine… None of the three of us own Naruto. For all that I've had almost nothing to do with the writing of this story. Seriously you guys should go check out Saxyguy's other story. I helped write that one and it rocks.

Leo – On to the story.

Early morning the third day

Naruto was still unconscious. Sasuke and Raid were asleep. Sakura babbled on and on about Sasuke's superiority. Jade played with a piece of string.

This is the scene that greeted the Oto team. Dosu captured a squirrel and attached an explosive tag to it; sending it scampering toward the unsuspecting Konoha nin.

In one smooth motion, Jade lashed out with the string in her hands, it lengthened and lassoed the squirrel, and Jade jerked the small mammal back into her lap, ripped off the explosive tag, slapped it onto a kunai and sent is sailing back at the Oto nin.

Kin, Zaku, and Dosu all thought _'How?' _before the tag exploded and hurled all three nin into the clearing where Jade knocked them out quickly.

The explosion also had the side effect of waking Naruto, Raid and Sasuke, who immediately noticed the unconscious Oto nin. Raid walked over and began to search them for a scroll while Naruto inspected herself.

"Damn. It wasn't all in my head." Naruto moaned as she looked down and grasped her new "assets", causing Sasuke's nose to burst into a shower of blood, sending him hurtling back into a nearby tree.

All activity came to a screeching halt as Sakura glared daggers as Naruto.

"What?" Naruto asked with a blank look.

"You slut! You did that on purpose!" Sakura shrieked.

"Did what?" Naruto began before she noticed Sasuke fighting a valiant, if losing battle with his own face. Naruto walked over to stand in front of Sasuke.

"You dirty pervert. So what would you do if I did… This?" Naruto shouted as she glomped Sasuke, landing in his lap.

This proved to be too much for the poor boy and he passed out on the spot.

"I've always wanted to see someone do that to him." Naruto said with a laugh. "Never thought it'd be me." _'Damn he smells good.' _Naruto thought as she buried her face in Sasuke's shirt.

"Naruto-baka? What are you doing?"Raid asked as Jade tied Sakura up to prevent her from attacking Naruto.

_'Oh fuck.'_

_'Yes. Yes I did.'_

_'Shut up.' _"Nothing. I'm not doing anything. What are we gonna do with those Oto nin?"

_'Shut up kitsune no baka.'_

As Naruto was arguing with her inner demon, Raid returned to searching the Oto nin.

"Woot! They have the scroll we need!" Raid said holding it aloft.

"Well let's head to the tower." Jade said as she and Sakura gathered what little supplies they had.

"I'll carry Sasuke." Naruto volunteered.

Sakura stiffened and whirled to face Naruto. "You bitch! You just want to grope him while he's helpless!"

"And so what if I do Pinky-chan? What are YOU gonna do about it?" Naruto shot back as she picked up Sasuke and settled him across her back piggy-back style.

_'You shut up or I'll never talk to Raid for you.'_

_'That's what I thought.'_

"Come on. Let's stop fighting and finish this damn test." Jade remarked before she leaped off into the trees.

"Anee-chan no baka! Don't go off alone! Do you wanna end up like Naru-chan?" Raid shouted as he followed Jade.

Sakura and Naruto glared at each other for a moment and then followed Jade and Raid.

Halfway to the tower

The first thing Sasuke noticed when he began to regain consciousness was that he was pressed up against something soft and warm, so he naturally snuggled closer. His hands came in contact with something, so he squeezed in an effort to find out what it was.

The something in front of him squeaked.

_'Hmmm… what's soft and squeaks?' _Sasuke wondered as he gave the mysterious objects in his hands another experimental squeeze.

"Sasuke-kun… not that that doesn't feel good but if you don't get your hands off my chest in the next ten seconds, I swear to kami I will drop you, and it's a long way down. Naruto whispered, bringing Sasuke into full awareness.

Sasuke looked down, and upon realizing where his hands were, he blushed a deep scarlet and began to struggle, resulting in Naruto dropping him.

"ACK!" Sasuke shouted as he fell.

"Ack?" Sakura wondered as she turned around to face Naruto. "Where's Sasuke-kun?"

"One hint: gravity."

"You dropped Sasuke-kun?"

"Hey! He groped me!"

"That doesn't mean you should drop him you bitch!"

"You're just mad because it wasn't you he was groping Pinky-chan."

At this point both Jade and Raid rolled their eyes and left to find Sasuke.

Five minutes later

Jade and Raid found Sasuke fairly easily. After all, he couldn't move for being tangled in a fern.

"Sasuke-kun. How on earth did you get that tangled in a fern?"Raid asked.

"I don't know. I swear this thing is carnivorous. Please don't let it eat me. I still have to kill Itachi and revive my clan."

_'With Naru-chan.' _Sasuke's inner voice said.

_'Quiet you.'_

Noticing that the plant was in fact a carnivorous fern, Jade looped a long piece of string around Sasuke's wrist. When Raid cut Sasuke loose from a distance with shuriken, Jade jerked Sasuke out of the fern's grasp.

"Sasuke-kun, why didn't you just use a Katon jutsu?"Jade asked curiously.

"I really don't know…"

((A/N: Saxyguy – Probably because the authors are 3vil bastards who love to see others suffer. Leo - Heart))

"Let's go get Naru-chan and Pinky-chan before they kill each other." Jade said leading the way as they all leaped off to rejoin the rest of their team.

Five minutes later

Jade, Raid and Sasuke arrived just in time to see Sakura slap Naruto. There was a brief blur of activity ending with Naruto and Sakura bound with string.

"Evidently this is the only way to get you two children to behave." Jade said sternly. "Sasuke-kun, you carry Naru-chan okay? I'll take Pinky-chan."

"Don't make Sasuke-kun carry that slut! It's obvious he wants to carry memph!" Sakura said as Jade gagged her.

Jade lifted Sakura and tossed her over her shoulder like a sack of grain before heading out for the tower.

Raid stayed behind long enough to help Sasuke get Naruto up on his back before they both followed Jade.

After a while of jumping through trees Naruto spoke to Sasuke. "Sasuke-kun, you can let me down and untie me now."

"No."

"Why not?"

"…"

"Oh I get it. You think I'm gonna do this…" Naruto ground her hips into Sasuke's lower back. "…or this…" Naruto pressed herself flush against Sasuke's back, continuing to grind against him. "…or maybe even this." Naruto finished sliding her bound hands down her front of Sasuke's shirt.

Sasuke let out a soft moan of disappointment as Naruto pulled back a little.

"Well guess what Sasuke-kun." Naruto whispered in his ear.

"What?"

"You were wrong." Naruto said triumphantly.

"Bite me."

"Okay." Naruto responded, placing her mouth at the base of Sasuke's neck.

Sasuke groaned when Naruto began to suck at the flesh between her teeth.

At Sasuke's groan, Raid looked back and noticed that he was flushed and breathing heavily.

"Is Naru-chan to heavy for you Sasuke-kun?" Raid said mockingly.

"No. Just turn around and keep moving."

Just before turning around, Raid noticed what Naruto was actually doing and gave Sasuke a knowing smirk before continuing on toward their destination.

The rest of the way to the tower, Sasuke and Naruto behaved, mostly. All they really did was talk, that and decide they were going to go to a movie after the exam.

At the tower

When team 7 arrived at the tower, they walked in and opened the scrolls, as per Anko's instructions. Then they got to listen to Iruka lecture them again. Finally, they were put in a room with three other people.

Raid immediately sat down and began to read a book.

Sakura asked Sasuke for another date, which he refused.

Jade studied the other team, which consisted of a red haired boy with a huge-ishly gi-normous gourd on his back and black circles under his eyes making him look like a raccoon, a makeup wearing boy with a black body suit on and what appeared to be a body strapped to his back, and a blonde haired girl with an enormously big fan leaned against the wall next to her. Jade then walked over and tried to engage them in friendly conversation.

As Jade walked over to the other nin, Naruto sat down next to Raid, trying to figure out what book he was reading.

"What'cha reading?" Naruto asked, fed up with the silence.

"Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I'm trying to find a way to build a finite improbability device."

"What's that?" Sasuke asked sitting down on Naruto's other side.

"A device that causes all the molecules of a person's undergarments to jump one foot to the left, in accordance with the theory of indeterminacy."

"Why would you want that?" Naruto asked, pulling a face.

'You are the number one prankster ninja in Konoha and you have to ask why I want one?"

'"Oh."

"Raid-kun, if I help you with you project will you make me one?" Sasuke asked.

"Of course Sasuke-kun."

"Now why do you want…? Oh very funny Sasuke-kun.' Naruto began catching Sasuke's lecherous smirk.

With Jade

"I wish you luck in the exam Temari-san; Kankuro-san. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go bug Tanuki-kun… Speaking of which where did he go?" Jade wondered, glancing around the room for Gaara. She saw some sand slither out the window and followed it.

Five minutes later

Jade was currently crouched on an overhang, Gaara was below her, lighting some kind of dried plant in a pipe. He took a huge hit and held it for several seconds before exhaling. When he finished the pipe he refilled it from a small bag hidden in his gourd. After the second pipe he replaced the bag and bowl and stood, preparing to return to the waiting room. As Gaara rose, Jade lowered herself down a string ala Spiderman until she hung directly behind Gaara.

"BOO!"

"GAH!" Gaara shouted as he jumped and spun around, coming face to face with a laughing Jade.

Gaara plopped down where he stood and stared up at Jade. Gaara stared blankly for a few seconds before he spoke. "Whoa… you're all like… hangin' from a string and shit… that's friggin' awesome!"

"What exactly was in that pipe Tanuki-kun?" Jade asked as she dropped down and sat across from Gaara.

"Weed, man. Weed"

Jade glared at Gaara, causing him to shift uncomfortably.

"What? I gotta good reason fer smokin' man. And it's not like it's illegal er anythin'" ((A/N: Saxyguy – My story, my laws. Don't like it don't read.))

"And your excuse is?"

"Shikaku. The pot keeps him outta ma head."

"Right. Likely story. What's a shikaku?"

"Shikaku is da bijuu ji-san had sealed in me." Gaara stated as he showed her the seal on his stomach.

'Great kami! Whoever sealed this did it wrong! Very wrong! No wonder you have to smoke to stay sane!"

"What'cha talkin' 'bout?"

"A one element seal for a bijuu? It's a wonder you're still you!"

"Can ya fix it?"

"I'm not good enough with Fuuinjutsu yet. I only know enough for basic seals and to know that whoever did this did a very bad job." Jade said, pointing at Gaara's seal. "Although I do know someone who can fix it."

Konoha's hotspring

An white-haired elderly man sneezed, causing him to get caught peeping, which resulted in him receiving a severe beating.

"Hrm… Someone's talking about me…"

Gaara and Jade

"Whoa… so he can… like… fix da seal so I don't hafta deal wit' Shikaku? Damn…"

"What do you mean damn?"

"Dat means I wont hava excuse ta smoke no more… I like smokin'"

"Well… like you said earlier, it's not like it's illegal or anything." Jade reminded him as her forgiving nature kicked in.

"You are da first person aside from Nii-san and Nee-san to not condem or judge me fer ma smokin'"

"Well… let's just get back to the waiting room." Jade said as she helped Gaara to his feet.

Leo – Well seeing as how Saxyguy is still unconcsous it falls to me to tell all you mooks to review my story!

Saxyguy walks in with his head wrapped in bandages

Saxyguy – Your story?! I've written every chapter in this story so far! So if anything it's MY story!

Saxyguy's cell phone rings.

Saxyguy – Hello? Oh, hi Raaven. What do you need?

Leo rolls her eyes.

Saxyguy – WHAT?! NO! You can't claim any ownership to this story you haven't written anything! And why are you in Texas?!

Leo – What? When did Raaven skip town?

Saxyguy – Not important. Turns back to his phone and walks out of the room.

**Kin – Review and Saxyguy may eventually write a lemon for this fic!**

(Saxyguy – And yes before I get a bunch of scathing reviews, I know that Sasuke and Gaara are extreamly OOC in this chapter. Well guess what folks? THEY'RE GONNA STAY THAT WAY AND NOTHING YOU CAN SAY WILL CHANGE MY MIND! On a more serious note, the explanation for Gaara's OOCness: I went through a period of time where a lot of people hated me, and guess what? I used drugs as an escape! Is I so unbelievable that Gaara, who has a lot more problems than I do, would do the same thing[I am not in any way promoting the use of drugs. They are not only bad but also stupid. Don't say I didn't warn you! As for Sasuke, I don't have a reason for him but if you'll be so kind as to look back at the summery for my story, you'll see that I warned you folks that the OOCness was coming, FROM EVERYONE! That is all and I hope you continue to read and enjoy my story!)


	10. Chapter 9

**Saxyguy** – Sorry for the long wait for this update, but my dad banned from the home network so I can't access my stories from home. If it upsets you blame my coauthor Leo for finding all those viruses.

**Leo** – It's not my fault! Beats Saxyguy with a panda bear

**Saxyguy** – See this proves what I keep telling you!

**Leo** – What's that?

**Saxyguy** – That you're sexless.

**Leo** - Beats Saxyguy again.

Raid and Jade walk through and watch Leo beat Saxyguy for a moment

**Twins** – The authors want you to know that they don't own Naruto and that they don't profit in any way from this story.

Chapter 9

The waiting room was quiet as Jade and Gaara returned. Kankuro was playing with a small puppet, Temari was creating small tornado's to dust the room, Sakura was sobbing at the fact that Sasuke was ignoring her, Naruto and Sasuke were engaged in conversation about what movie they were going to see, and Raid was still reading his book. After a few minutes, teams 9 and 10 were led in. silence reigned for a few minutes.

"Oh Kami… I figured it out…" Raid whispered, causing Sasuke and Naruto to look over.

"We'll talk about it later. Just write it down so you don't forget." Sasuke said as he handed Raid a pencil and small notebook.

Raid scribbled furiously for several minutes before he closed the notebook and handed it back to Sasuke. He then pulled out an orange covered Manga and began to read. Naruto looked over his shoulder and blushed a deep scarlet at what he was reading.

Sasuke glanced over at Naruto's shift and his eyes grew wide.

"Great Kami! I've been looking for that series for months!" Do you have the first book on you?"

Raid reached into one of his pockets and pulled out another manga and handed it to Sasuke without even looking up. Sasuke stared reverently as he slowly opened the glowing pages and began to read.

Six hours later

Shortly after the last team checked in, Anko entered the room and told them to follow her. She led them to a large indoor stadium and told them to wait with their teams. As son as Anko left, a sickly looking man appeared before them.

"Okay cough anyone who wants to quit raise their hand. You're cough fighting as individuals now, so cough you can quit without harming your team."

Immediately, a silver haired man with glasses raised his hand.

"Okay cough you may leave. Anyone else?" No one raised their hands.

"These fights are cough determined randomly. hack cough so you may end up fighting cough from your own village or even your own cough team. Fights continue until coughone gives up, or there is a clear winner cough; either by knockout or death. cough If I determine a winner before that cough then the fight is over. Matches coughwill be announced via that board." The man said, pointing to the board. "Any questions?"

There were none.

"Then let us begin."

Sasuke vs. Yori

"Match One: Uchiha Sasuke versus Yori. Hajime!"

_'No need to show off all of my tricks yet.' _Sasuke thought as he pulled out a kunai.

"To bad you had to face me in the first match." Yori spoke as he pulled out three shuriken and threw them at Sasuke. "Prepare to lose!"

Sasuke easily deflected the shuriken as he pulled out another kunai.

Yori flashed through some hand seals, causing his hand to glow a sickly green and he charged.

Sasuke threw both kunai at Yori which he easily avoided, and pulled out a third kunai. He fiddled with it for a second before throwing it. The kunai hit the ground at Yori's feet and, before he could contemplate Sasuke's bad aim, it exploded, sending Yori skidding across the room.

"I don't know what that jutsu does but if I keep you away from me then it's useless!" Sasuke shouted as he did some hand seals. "Katon: Housenka no Jutsu!" Twelve small fireballs shot out of Sasuke's mouth, homing in on Yori's prone form.

Yori, seeing that he couldn't dodge, curled up, trying to cover his vitals before the fireballs hit. When the dust settled, Yori was clearly unconscious.

"Shousha: Uchiha Sasuke!"

Match Two: Raid vs. Kin

Raid leapt down into the arena and stood in front of the proctor with his arms crossed waiting for his opponent. He didn't have to wait long.

The female Oto nin leapt into the stadium and stood across from him, taking the measure of her opponent.

Raid took a moment to study his opponent. She had long black hair, held back by her hitai-ate. She was wearing a basic ninja vest that left her arms bare, and a pair of camouflage pants with a matching scarf. She had no visible weapons aside from the standard shuriken and kunai pouches.

"Match two: Miyuki Raid versus Tsuchi Kin. Hajime!"

Kin jumped back and threw two objects at Raid.

Raid reached up and snatched both objects out of the air.

"Senbon. These are practically useless unless you're ridiculously accurate, which you aren't. And what's with the bells? You gonna try to confuse me by throwing some with bells and some without? That'll never work." Raid said as he used one of the senbon as a toothpick.

Kin growled in frustration before throwing a kunai at Raid.

Without even looking up, Raid spat the senbon out, causing both weapons to deflect harmlessly.

"Weapons won't work on me. However, to make this interesting, I'll tell you my weakness on one condition."

"And what's that?"

"You make a bet with me. If you win, I owe you one favor that can be used for anything at any time, if I win; you stay in Konoha and work for me, kinda like a bodyguard."

Kin glanced up at Orochimaru and raised and eyebrow, silently asking for permission, which he granted with a small nod.

"Fine. I'll take your bet."

"Good." Raid said as he exploded into a cloud of smoke.

Kin stiffened as a smoke bomb went off at her feet and a pair of arms draped over her neck.

"My weakness is genjutsu. I never did have any talent for it." Raid whispered in her ear. "Now will you surrender?" Raid asked as he placed a kunai against Kin's neck.

"That was cheep."

"But effective. Now, do you surrender, or do you need a nap?"

"I forfeit." Kin said loud enough for the proctor to hear.

"Shousha: Miyuki Raid."

"Now you get to come with me." Raid said as he wrapped his arms around Kin's waist and jumped back up onto the balcony with his team.

"Who's this?" Naruto asked as the match between Ino and Sakura started.

"Kin-chan is my new subordinate."

_'Kin-chan? We barely know each other!' _Kin thought.

"Aniki, were you betting with people's lives again?"

'Maybe…"

_**'That slut! How dare she touch my Raid-kun!'**_

_'How many times do I have to remind you? He is not 'your' Raid-kun, nor does he even know you exist.'_

_**'And **__**whose**__** fault is that?'**_

_'Hey! I told you I would talk to him __after__ the exam!'_

After finishing with Lyn, Naruto tuned back into the conversation, only to realize an important fact.

"Hey Raid-kun! When did you learn Kage Bushin no Jutsu? I though you couldn't do nin- or genjutsu."

"I learned Kage Bushin because you use it so much and I worked hard to learn it. And I never said I couldn't do Ninjutsu, I said I don't use it often. When I do use it I'm actually quite good."

By this time, the match between Sakura and Ino ended in a draw via double knock out.

"Well anyway, what do you plan to do with Kin-chan?" Jade asked.

"Shouldn't you be more concerned with the exam?"

"I don't care about your excuses, just answer my question Aniki!"

"I'd start caring. You fight next." Raid said, pointing to the board.

Jade versus Kiba

Both Jade and Kiba took their places in front of the exam proctor.

"Match four: Miyuki Jade versus Inuzuka Kiba. Hajime!"

"How about I end this quick dog-breath?" Jade asked as she toyed with a piece of string.

"I'd like to see you try."

Jade whipped out a scroll and snapped it open. She palmed the seal on the scroll and came away with a weapon pouch.

"More weaponry won't help!"

Jade opened the pouch and withdrew several kunai trailing wire.

Curious as to what her plan was, Kiba froze.

Jade began to bounce around the arena while throwing kunai everywhere, crisscrossing the wires like a spider web. Slapping her hands together in the sign of the rat and shouted "Kai!" causing explosive tags to unfurl on all of the wires every couple of inches. Then she leaped atop one of the wires and used it to jump to the ceiling and stick using chakra. She looked down at Kiba.

"Those wires are ninja steel, so you can't burn them with Katon jutsu or cut them with shuriken or kunai, and Raiton would fry you alive. Tsuuga Gatsuuga and Garooga are useless because of the explosive tags, which are all real." Jade demonstrated by detonating one. "It would take you several seconds to disarm each one and from this vantage point, I can easily hit you with ranged attacks no matter where you are. You should give up."

"You're right, but you forgot one thing."

"What?""I can use Tsuuga to burrow underground!" Kiba shouted as he began to spin into a gray tornado of doom, and burrowed into the floor.

There was a muffled explosion and Kiba was hurled out of the tunnel he had dug.

Jade dropped from the ceiling, righted herself and landed on one of the wires.

"H-how did you do that?" Kiba asked as smoke rose from his singed clothing.

"I used a special type of sealing on my sandals. Every time I hopped, it activated, phasing an explosive tag six feet into the floor and arming it."

"Shousha: Miyuki Jade."

Jade leaped back onto the balcony as the board announced the next match.

The fifth match set Tenten against Temari. Although she gave a valiant effort, Tenten lost the match when Temari trapped her in a whirlwind. After releasing Tenten's unconscious form, Temari struck out her fan to catch the falling girl.

Suddenly Raid leapt to his feet and shouted, "Lee-kun! No! You can't interfere!"

But it was too late. Just before Tenten would have landed on Temari's fan, Lee appeared on top of it and caught her.

Lee glared down at Temari. "That is no was to treat a defeated opponent. Especially one who fought with honor."

"Beat it punk!" Temari shouted as she jerked her fan out form under Lee.

Lee landed next to Temari and bounced back. He resettled Tenten in his arms before he jumped back up with his team.

Match 6 Naruto versus Chouji

Chouji jumped down in front of the proctor and crossed his arms, waiting for his opponent.

Suddenly, a scuffle broke out where team 7 was standing. Everyone watched as the fight ended with Raid and Sasuke throwing a long haired Naruto into the arena.

"Very funny guys." Naruto shouted as she stood and dusted herself off.

Chouji's POV

_'Something's off and it's not just the hair… WAIT! Why is his voice higher? And why does his hips and chest look…' _And then it hit him.

Normal POV

"Buddha's Doughnuts!" Chouji exclaimed drawing very humorous what the fuck looks from everyone. ((A/N Saxyguy: And congratulations to Mountainwind for coming up with one of the funniest random exclamations ever! And it fits Chouji so well.))

"Owwww…" Naruto moaned as she rubbed her ear.

"You're a girl?!" Chouji shouted, pointing at Naruto. The strange looks were now all directed at Naruto.

"Yeah, so? There was an accident in the forest."

"Is it permanent?"

"I have no clue. Look, are we gonna fight of is everyone gonna stand around and gawp all day?"

"Oh! Sorry. Match 6: Uzumaki Naruto versus Akimichi Chouji. Hajime!"

Naruto dashed forward, trying to close the distance to Chouji before he started his technique.

"Baika no Jutsu!"

_'Crap.' _Naruto watched as Chouji's body ballooned out, becoming roughly spherical.

"Nikudan Sensha!" Chouji called out as he pulled his limbs and head into the main mass of his body.

_'Double crap.' _Naruto thought as Chouji began to roll forward at great speed.

_**'Might I suggest moving kit?'**_

Naruto leaped to the side as Chouji barreled through. Chouji turned around and came back at Naruto, prompting her to jump straight and over Chouji's rolling form.

_'I can't dodge forever. Any bright ideas Lyn?'_

_**'Hundreds. Most of which require tails, unlimited chakra, or a 30 story demonic body; all of which you lack.'**_

_'Any bright ideas I can __use__'_

_**'Forfeit?'**_

_'If you ever suggest that again, I will NEVER tell Raid about you and I will keep you locked up in my body for the rest of my natural life.'_

_**'You're almost as evil as I am.'**_ Lyn said in awe.

_'Wait! If I use your chakra for a Kage Bushin would you be able to transfer over to it for a little while?'_ Naruto asked clinging to a wall as Chouji smashed around the arena.

_**'For a short time, yes.'**_

_'Long enough to help me win?'_

_**'If we're quick.'**_

Naruto began to channel Lyn's chakra and formed a familiar cross shaped seal. "Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"

A cloud of smoke appeared next to Naruto as Chouji slammed into the wall below her, knocking her loose. A young woman appearing to be 18 or so, with flaming red hair and wearing a dark blue battle kimono, dropped out of the cloud of smoke. She landed on top of Chouji and bounced away to the center of the arena. It was then that everyone noticed the fox ears poking out of her hair and the nine tails swaying behind her lazily. Naruto appeared next to her as Chouji reversed out of the newest crater in the arena and headed straight for Naruto. The woman lashed out with her tails ((A/N Saxyguy: yes they stretch.)) and knocked Chouji into the air, where Naruto threw a kunai at him. When the kunai hit, it exploded, knocking Chouji out of his jutsu and sending him crashing to the floor.

"Shousha: Uzumaki Naruto." The proctor announced as the mysterious woman disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Naruto rejoined her team on the balcony as Kankuro squared off with another black garbed nin.

"What was that move?" Raid asked.

"It was a modified Kage Bushin. And while we're on the topic, how much do you all know about the Kyuubi no Kitsune?"

"It attacked Konoha fifteen years ago and Yondaime-sama sacrificed himself to kill it right?" Sakura responded.

"That's only half true. Yondaime-sama couldn't kill the Kyuubi, no mortal can. So he was left with only one option; to seal it. Now he couldn't use just anything to seal the beast because it would just break out; so he sealed it in a young boy. That boy was me."

"So that bushin earlier was really Kyuubi?" Raid asked.

"Correct Raid-kun. Speaking of which, she wants to talk to you."

_**'Finally!'**_

"Wait! Why does it want to…?" Raid was cut off as Naruto created another kage bushin for Lyn. As the smoke cleared, Raid felt something smash into his chest, hurling him to the ground. When to smoke fully dissipated, everyone was amazed to see Raid pinned to the floor with the Kyuubi seated on his chest.

"It is good to finally get to talk to you Raid-kun. My name is Lyn."

"Well Lyn-san it's nice to meet you too, but did you really have to tackle me to the ground?"

"Yup." Lyn replied causing Raid to sweat drop.

"You think she's bad now? I had to put up with her remarks ever since the fight at the hospital." Naruto commented. "And she never gave me a break, constantly bugging me to talk to you for her…"

One of Lyn's tails shot out and wrapped around Naruto's head covering her mouth. "You don't want to finish that remark." Lyn said menacingly before she disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

_'Just remember, you're in there and I'm out here.'_

_**'And I can give you the worst set of stomach cramps you've ever heard of.'**_

_'…'_

By this time Kankuro had won his match and returned to the stands.

The next match was Shino versus Zaku, and it ended when Shino plugged the holes in Zaku's hands causing him to blow his arms off.

The match after that was Neji versus Hinata. The fight was spectacular and Hinata almost won, but Neji's genius overcame Hinata's wish to prove herself in the end.

The second to last fight was Shikamaru versus Dosu. Once Shikamaru figured out Dosu's attack, it was a quick fight, ending with Shikamaru the victor.

Match 11: Gaara versus Lee

Gaara appeared in a cloud of swirling sands while Lee leapt down to stand in front of the proctor.

"Final match: Sabaku no Gaara versus Rock Lee. Hajime!"

Lee's POV

_'Wow he's scary looking. What's with his eyes anyway? They're so bloodshot they look solid red…'_

Gaara's POV

_'I shouldn't have smoked so much. I'm still high… good thing the sands are mostly automated…'_

Normal POV

Everyone watched tensely as Gaara and Lee stared each other down, Lee in his Goken stance, Gaara simply with his arms crossed. Lee suddenly shot forward and leaped into the air. As he came down at Gaara, Lee shouted out his signature move. "Konoha Senpuu!"

Gaara didn't even flinch as Lee lashed out with his foot. At the last second, sand exploded out or Gaara's gourd to block the blow. As the fight continued, it became more and more obvious that Lee's current Taijutsu just wasn't going to cut it.

With a mental 'flick' Gaara sent some of his sand after Lee, forcing him to jump back onto the statue adorning one wall. Gai then shouted something about taking them off, causing everyone in the arena, including Gaara to recoil in horror, until they realized Lee was simply removing his weights. After removing the weights, Lee stood and dropped them, creating twin craters on either side of him. He then vanished. No cloud of smoke or after images, just vanished.

Gaara felt the sand react and spun around just in time to see Lee's fist stop so close to his face that Lee snapped out a finger and flicked Gaara on the nose.

Then he vanished again. Lee reappeared a few paces in front of Gaara with a smile on his face.

The balcony

Kakashi's eye grew wider and he turned to Gai.

"Please tell me you didn't teach him… it."

"I had to. It's part of his nindo."

Kakashi sighed as he uncovered his Sharingan, shocking Sasuke.

_'The Sharingan?__ Is he Uchiha? __And why only one eye?'_ Sasuke wondered as he activated his Sharingan as well.

"What's wrong with Lee-san Kakashi-sensei?"

'Nothing's really wrong he's just about to get a lot faster."

The Arena

"First gate: Kaimon. Kai!" Lee charged Gaara and began circling him at high speed. Dashing in at Gaara, Lee got under his guard and landed a kick on his chin, sending Gaara upward. Appearing behind Gaara, Lee wrapped him up in medical tape. "Here it is! Omote Renge!" Lee shouted as he slammed Gaara into the ground.

Lee jumped back away from the newest crater in the now nearly destroyed room and slumped to the ground in pain.

To everyone's amazement, "Gaara" collapsed in on himself, revealing an empty shell of sand. The sand behind Lee rose up and Gaara stepped forth.

"Dude man! That was dangerous!" Gaara exclaimed, laying a hand on Lee's shoulder and looking at the crater Lee had made.

Lee spun around in time to see the sand at Gaara's feet explode outward, hurling him away from Gaara.

"This match is over." The proctor announced.

"Not yet proctor. I wanna play some more." Gaara whined, reminding everyone of a certain Uzumaki.

'I agree with my youthful opponent. This match is far from over." Lee said as he stood.

Gaara lashed out with his sand, which Lee easily avoided.

"I will prove that hard work can over come genius!" Lee shouted as he released the second and third gates. _'Gai-sensei… please __watch__ now, as a follow my __nindo__!'_

"Here we go!" Lee shouted as he launched Gaara into the air once more. The next several seconds were a blur of activity as Lee smashed Gaara back and forth across the room. With one final downward thrust, Lee wrapped the bandages around Gaara once more and pulled him back to meet his fist again. As the punch connected Lee shouted the name of his technique. "Ura Renge!" and sent Gaara hurtling back toward the floor.

Both Gaara and lee hit the floor hard, leaving almost identical craters. Lee stood shakily before collapsing to his knees in pain.

Before the dust around Gaara had settled, sand slithered out and wrapped around Lee, leaving only his head exposed. Gaara, minus his gourd, stepped out of the billowing dust.

"Proctor, I only have to say two words and this boy dies. This match is over."

"Shousha: Sabaku no Gaara."

With that Gaara set Lee gently on the ground. As he turned around, Jade leapt into the arena and stood toe to toe with him. The two stared at each other for a while before the most shocking thing ever happened. Gaara began to cower.

Jade leaned over Gaara. "What did I tell you about threatening people?"

"It had something to do with tacos right?" Gaara asked, his blitzed mind providing the completely wrong answer.

Everyone's eyes grew to the size of plates as Jade drew her fist back.

Temari's POV

_'What is she thinking?! __Gaara-__nii__-__sama__is__ going to kill her!'_

Normal POV

Jade's fist shot out, not even slowing down as it reached to point where Gaara's sand should have stopped it, and connected solidly with the top of Gaara's head, sending him crashing to his knees.

"Wrong! I told you threatening people was bad!"

"Itai! Jade-chan that hurt!" Gaara complained, rubbing his head.

"I'll hit you again if you don't listen this time Tanuki-kun."

"If I could get everyone who will proceed to the main matches to join me on the arena floor here I'll explain how the third test will work." The proctor yelled. He was immediately joined by Raid, Shikamaru, Shino, Neji, Naruto, Kankuro, Temari, and Sasuke. After a short explanation, the proctor held up a box, instructing them all to draw a number. "Okay the matches are as follows: Raid versus Sasuke, Jade versus Kankuro, Gaara versus Shino, Naruto versus Neji, and Temari versus Shikamaru. See you all in a month."

As the Chuunin hopefuls began to disperse, Kakashi hailed the participating members of team 7 with a simple "Yo!"

"Hai, Kakashi-sensei."Naruto responded.

"First thing, Hokage-sama wants to see Naru-chan and Jade-chan about your training, secondly…" Kakashi began as he pulled out 4 slips of paper. "…I want you to channel chakra into these slips of paper." He finished as he handed everyone a slip.

They all took the paper and concentrated for a second.

Sasuke's slip burst into flames, Raid's slip crumpled into a tiny ball, and Naruto's split in half. Everyone turned to Jade to find her staring at the sapling in front of her in amazement.

"Kakashi-sensei, what does that mean?"

"Well slap me thrice and hand me to me mamma… Jade-chan, you have the Mokudon affinity; Sasuke-kun has Katon, Raid-kun has Raiton, and Naru-chan has futon. I will train Sasuke-kun and Raid-kun for the month, Naru-chan, you and Jade-chan should go see what Hokage-sama wants."

"Hai, Kakashi-sensei." The four genin responded before Jade and Naruto left for the Hokage's office.

Hokage's office 20 minutes later

"You wished to speak with us Hokage-sama?" Jade asked as they entered the room.

"Hai. Jade-chan, you have shown great affinity for sealing and Naru-chan as proven herself capable of learning all but the most difficult jutsus in next to no time. I want you both to train with one of my former students Jiraiya-kun of the Sannin."

"Where should we find him Hokage-sama?" Naruto asked.

"As much as it pains me to say this, check the outside of the local bathhouses. He's probably peeking."

Both Jade and Naruto made faces of disgust before Jade thought of something.

"Hokage-sama, is there anyone who can teach me Mokudon jutsus?"

"Sadly, all I have is one scroll. Jiraiya-kun should be able to help you learn from them." The Hokage said as he handed Jade a scroll.

Saxyguy – And… CUT! That's a wrap folks!

Leo – Took you long enough! You've been sitting on that chapter for weeks now!

Saxyguy – Gomen! Please don't hurt me Leo-chan!

Leo chases Saxyguy around with a boken. Orochimaru walks in reading from cue cards.

**Orochimaru – Review and I may let the ****Sandaime**** live!**


	11. Chapter 10

(By the way, I realized something that may be confusing some of you. This story uses what I consider to be Naruto's 'real' age. He failed the genin exam three times meaning while everyone else is 12, Naruto is 15. The twins are the same age as Naruto. Hope that clears things up a bit.)

**Saxyguy** – Sup folks! Just figured I should let you guys know that the rumors that I had died are greatly exaggerated.

**Leo** – You know there wouldn't be any rumors if you just wrote on a regular schedule… reaches for nearby objet to beat Saxyguy with

**Saxyguy** – steps out of Leo's arms reach Anyway. This is the new chapter. We'll get to see the Chuunin finals and maybe the beginning of something after…

**Leo** – Baka! They already know about Oro-teme's invasion! beats Saxyguy with an inflatable hammer of doom

**Saxyguy – **Itai! That doesn't mean you need to hit me!

**Leo – **The day you get through a chapter without needing to be beaten is the day I hang up my pencil.

Chapter 10

Two weeks after the Prelims

There is a little known plateau deep in the woods surrounding Konoha. For those who know Kakashi well enough, they would recognize it as his personal training ground. The wind gusted across the plateau, kicking up dust and dirt. There was a sound starting. It sounded like the chirping of many birds, slowly rising in intensity. Two forms dashed forth, dragging their left hands, which appeared to be covered in lightning.

'Chidori!" Sasuke and Raid called out as they simultaneously slammed their hands into the rock in front of them.

"Good. Sasuke-kun, I want you to continue to practice Chidori to increase you efficiency and speed. Raid-kun, I am going to teach you my other original move, Raikari."

"Why can't I learn that one Kakashi-sensei?" Sasuke asked.

"Because Raikari requires the Raiton affinity to perform. Your genius lies in Katon jutsu."

"Hai." Sasuke replied as he moved to continue practicing.

_'I wonder how Anee-chan and Naru-chan are __doing.__' _Raid wondered as Kakashi began to teach him Raikari.

Konoha's hot spring: one week earlier

The last couple of days had been rather… interesting for Jade and Naruto. After taking one look at the seal Orochimaru put on Naruto, Jiraiya pronounced her to be permanently female. He also fixed Gaara's seal after Jade and Naruto proved how truly irritation they could be. Jiraiya was currently reaching Naruto to summon toads while Jade practiced using chakra strings by making a small puppet dance.

"And that's the theory behind summoning." Jiraiya finished. "Now, memorize these hand seals as I do them…" Jiraiya said as he performed the seals. Slamming a palm into the ground, Jiraiya shouted called out the technique. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

There was a cloud of smoke and a toad appeared holding a large scroll in its mouth. Accepting the scroll from the toad, Jiraiya unrolled it in front of Naruto.

"Now prick a finger and sign your name in blood with your handprint below it." Jiraiya said indicating where Naruto was to sign. After Naruto finished signing her name, Jiraiya dismissed the toad. 'Now you try to summon one. Don't feel bad if you don't get it right away…"

Naruto slammed her palm into the ground. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" There was a massive explosion of smoke.

**"Jiraiya why have you summoned me?"**

_'Holy shit! She summoned Gamabunta on the first try!'_

"It wasn't me otherwise I'd be on your head." Jiraiya said from the ground.

**"Well then who summoned me?"**

"It was me." Naruto said as she crawled down onto Gamabuta's nose, only to be joined by Jade.

"Congratulations on your first summon." Jade said as she gave Naruto a high five.

**"You mean to tell me that this gaki summoned me and it was her first attempt?"**

"Yup." Jade and Naruto agreed, the former going back to playing with her puppet.

**"Well I'll be… kids these days sure are getting stronger…" **Gamabunta muttered. **"Gaki I'll let you summon toads, but only summon me if the need is dire."**

"Hai." Naruto responded. Gamabunta disappeared in a cloud of smoke, giving Jade and Naruto just enough time to realize they were 20 stories up with no way to catch themselves. _'Shit.' _They both thought.

The day of the Exam

All the participating genin, minus Raid and Sasuke, were standing in the stadium as people filed in. a ninja chewing on a senbon approached them just as Kakashi, Sasuke, and Raid appeared in a swirl of leaves.

"Now that everyone's here, my name is Genma and I will be the proctor for the finals. The rules are the same as the preliminaries. The first match is Shikamaru versus Temari. All other contestants please move to the contestant box."

Everyone but Genma, Shikamaru, and Temari left the stadium.

Seeing their chance, Raid and Sasuke slipped over to Naruto and Jade, where they were joined by Gaara.

"So how did your training go?" Raid asked as Kin appeared beside him with a bang. "Oh hey beautiful." He said, causing Kin to blush.

"Well Jade-chan learned a jutsu in her affinity, and I learned how to summon. Speaking of which, Lyn-chan wants to talk to you." Naruto said as she created a Kage Bushin for Lyn to inhabit.

As soon as Lyn appeared, she glomped Raid, sending them both to the ground with as much grace as a sledgehammer. Naruto and Jade glanced up to see Shikamaru gain the upper hand in his match.

"You know in both of the times we've talked, I seem to spend a lot of time on my back." Raid commented.

"I can't help it if you're just too sexy for your own good." Lyn shot back. "Now for the real reason I'm here, do you have a summon?"

"No I don't. Why?"

"Then I offer you my race." Lyn said as she snapped her fingers, causing a large scroll to appear in a burst of flame. "This is the kitsune contract and I want you to sign it."

"Hey! Why didn't you offer that to me?" Naruto cried.

"You can already have my help just by making a kage bushin so what would be the point?" Lyn asked as Raid but his thumb and signed the contract.

"That's… actually a really good point…"

By this time Shikamaru had forfeited.

"Would the next two fighters please enter the stadium." Genma called.

Before she left the contestant box, Naruto summoned Gamakichi. "Hey, Gamakichi. Can all toads spit oil or is that just Gamabunta?"

"We can all do it, but where Tou-san would give you enough to level small towns, I can only produce enough to keep a small lamp lit for a few hours."

"So bigger toads mean more oil right?"

"In a nutshell, yes."

"Thanks. I'll get you a snack next time." Naruto said as she dismissed Gamakichi and joined Neji in the stadium.

"Fate has led us to this day and…"

"If you start spewing some retarded ass crap about fate I will humiliate you with your defeat. As it is, I want to give both of us a chance to show off a bit. So how about you shut up and prepare to fight?" Naruto said, causing Neji to close his open mouth with a snap.

"Match two: Uzumaki Naruto versus Hyuuga Neji. Hajime!"

Neji stood back and activated his Byakugan, waiting for Naruto to make the first move. Naruto reached up and bit down on her thumb, drawing blood. She flitted through some hand seals before slapping a palm to the ground and shouting. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

There was a large cloud of smoke. When it cleared, Naruto was crouched on the back of a large toad with twin katana strapped crosswise on its back.

Neji's eyes grew to the approximate size of basketballs.

"Let's show this guy who's boss. You keep him occupied and I'll provide Ninjutsu support."

"Hai." The toad croaked as it drew one of the katana on its back. The toad leaped forward and went for a horizontal slash that would have cleaved Neji in two had he not jumped over the blade. He was so focused on the toad; however, that he forgot about Naruto.

That was his first mistake.

"Suiton: Teppoudama!"

_'Fuck.'_ Neji thought as a large ball of water smashed into his upper back, hurling him into the wall.

Contestant box

"Looks like Naru-chan learned a bit more than just summoning." Sasuke commented.

"She's a bit like a jutsu sponge really." Jade replied.

"You'll really want to watch me and Sasuke-kun go at it. It'll be good." Raid said, still pinned to the floor by Lyn. Kin flopped to the ground next to his head. "How are you still here anyway? Not that I really mind…" Raid asked, looking at the kitsune seated on his chest.

"Naru-chan's control with kage bushin has grown at an amazing rate in the past month. I can stay out for up to three days now."

"Cool. Now we can hang out more." Raid said as Kin slid his head into her lap and started to toy with his hair.

"You have no clue how much I envy you right now." Kankuro remarked as Kin began to tie a bunch of mini braids in Raid's hair.

"Not that Aniki's love life isn't interesting, but I would like to watch the match. Jade said from the floating platform of sand her and Gaara were seated on.

The Stadium

Naruto seemed to be in dire straights indeed. After several minutes, Neji finally defeated Naruto's summoned ally. Now Neji had Naruto tied up in melee combat with no time to use her impressive arsenal of jutsu. Neji sent a barrage of attacks at Naruto, but her lithe form somehow bent to avoid them all, her flowing movements oddly reminiscent of the flow of water. One thing about Naruto's new style became rapidly apparent. While Neji kept up a grueling pace of blows, Naruto was slowly getting faster. Eventually, Naruto began launching strikes of her own. She lashed out with her right hand and grabbed the front of Neji's vest. With a surprising show of strength, Naruto swung Neji up over her head and slammed her left palm into Neji's chest with a cry of "Futon: Heki Hira no Jutsu!" Neji was blasted straight up as Naruto did the seals for summoning again. She summoned a medium sized armored toad. "Now! Give me oil directed at him!" Naruto shouted as she pointed at Neji's airborne form.

"Hai." The toad replied, forming the appropriate seals and shooting out a stream of oil.

Naruto did her own set of seals and ignited the oil with a Katon jutsu. The resulting fireball engulfed Neji for a second before the toad ran out of oil.

Neji fell to the ground and lay still. Upon closer inspection, he was revealed to be merely unconscious and mostly unharmed by the fire.

"Shousha: Uzumaki Naruto." Genma announced.

Naruto walked out of the arena and rejoined the rest of the gang in the contestant box. The thing that got the most attention was when she seated herself in Sasuke's lap.

"Next match: Miyuki Jade versus Sabaku no Kankuro. Contestants please enter the arena." Genma announced, prompting Jade and Kankuro to leap into the arena.

Raid flanked by Lyn and Kin, approached the wall to watch what was sure to be an interesting match.

"Match three: Miyuki Jade versus Sabaku no Kankuro. Hajime!"

Jade whipped out a wire with several kunai strung along it as Kankuro unwrapped his puppet and set himself for Jade's attack. Jade held the wire at both ends and ran chakra through it, causing the kunai to levitate and point at Kankuro. She released the wire and the kunai hung in the air. With a jerk of her hand, she sent the kunai speeding towards Kankuro, who brought Karasu around to block.

The kunai deflected harmlessly as Kankuro laughed. "You'll have to do better than that!"

"Okay, how about this?" Jade retorted as she jerked both her hands back and Kasaru twitched out of Kankuro's control. With some quick movements of her fingers, Jade drew Karasu to her, leaving Kankuro to simply gape in amazement.

'Hey! Give that back!"

"No. Besides, what kind of guy plays with dolls?"

"That is a puppet not a doll! And a dangerous one at that." Kankuro said indignantly.

"No kidding." Jade replied sarcastically. With a twitch of her finger, Karasu's arms flipped up and launched a barrage of kunai at Kankuro.

Kankuro leaped to the side and drew out a scroll. _'Thank kami I brought a spare.' _He thought as he unrolled the scroll. There was an explosion of smoke and when it cleared, Kankuro was standing backed by another Karasu.

_'This could get interesting… He obviously knows more about the puppet then I do… How to do this…' _Manipulating the chakra strings, Jade and Kankuro sent their puppets flying at each other. Both puppets deployed blades and hacked at each other. After a moment, the two puppeteers pulled their toys back to survey the damage and plan their next move. Amazingly, Kankuro's puppet was worse off; having lost two of its four arms where Jade's had only lost one.

Jade fired another barrage of kunai and followed it with her puppet.

Kankuro pulled his puppet in front of himself to block the kunai, and then sent it to meet Jade's in battle once more.

That's when Jade did something totally unexpected. She detached the chakra strings on her right hand. Then she used Kawarimi no Jutsu to switch places with her puppet. She attached chakra strings to Kankuro's puppet with her right hand and, using the leverage from her closer position, stole the second puppet from Kankuro. "Now who's the puppet master?" Jade asked flanked by both of Kankuro's puppets.

"Bite me bitch."

"Wrong answer." Jade replied as she fired a storm of poisoned senbon at Kankuro. The young nin became a life-sized pincushion.

"I… I… f…forfeit…" Kankuro said before he collapsed.

Jade returned Kankuro's puppets to his side and left the arena as medics rushed to attend to the fallen puppet user.

Balcony

"That was an incredible match but did you have to kill my Nii-san?" Gaara asked when Jade arrived.

"He'll live. He only passed out because of the number of senbon that hit. He'll wake up in a few hours and be able to take the antidote."

"Oh. Well it was a really good match regardless."

"Thanks."

Arena

By this time, Raid and Sasuke stood facing each other. Sasuke chuckled to himself as Raid removed all the mini-braids Kin had put in his hair.

"You look ridiculous." Sasuke said.

Raid simply grunted and finished taking his hair down.

"Match four: Miyuki Raid versus Uchiha Sasuke. Hajime!"

They both stood and faced each other before Sasuke spoke. "Do we want to be flashy of quick?"

"Flashy of course. We wanna show off how strong Konoha nin are."

"Liar!" Sasuke retorted, pointing at Raid. "You just want to show off in front of Lyn and Kin!"

"You got me. So should we start?"

"Let's go!" Sasuke shouted with a grin.

Raid threw a double fist full of shuriken at Sasuke then threw both arms out to his sides, causing twin hilts to shoot out of his arm warmers and into his hands. There was a tearing of cloth as twin wakazashis appeared from his now shredded arm warmers.

Sasuke avoided the shuriken by leaping to one of the arena walls. He flew through some hand seals before shouting his technique. "Katon: Housenka no Jutsu!" Twelve small fireballs streaked at Raid.

Raid spun his wakazashis into a forward grip ((A/N: Saxyguy – blade extending from the thumb)) and batted all the fireballs away, revealing the shuriken hidden in the flames. Twirling the blades, Raid forced chakra into them, causing them to lengthen to full size katanas. He then slipped into his stance, his right katana rested across his shoulders while his left arm crossed his chest to hold the other katana straight back from his armpit.

Stands

Tenten stared in awe at the swords Raid now held. _'I have GOT too get him to tell me where he got those.'_

Arena

Sasuke pulled out a shuriken and threw it at Raid. Running through some hand seals, he announced his jutsu. "Shuriken Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" the resulting cloud of shuriken was thick enough to completely obscure vision.

Raid crouched and, forcing chakra into his legs, leaped directly at the incoming projectile cloud. His arms became a blur just before he was engulfed in the tide of pointy things of doom. There was a long screech of metal striking metal so quickly it slurred into one note before Raid emerged from the other side of the cloud flying directly at Sasuke.

Sasuke leaped out at Raid, who threw his left hand blade at him. Sasuke somehow twisted out of the way of the blade and caught it by the hilt, meeting Raid in an aerial blade lock.

"Let's take this up a notch. The first one to touch the ground forfeits." Raid challenged.

"Fine by me!" Sasuke shouted as he kicked Raid away from the wall. As Raid tumbled away, Sasuke threw the sword in his hand straight down. The katana hit blade first and stuck, allowing Sasuke to land on the hilt. Looking around, Sasuke spotted Raid a short distance away, perched in a tree. Sasuke tied a wire to the hilt of the katana and leaped to the wall, using the wire to pull the weapon after him. Sasuke pulled out a kunai and hurled it at the tree below Raid. When it stuck, the kunai exploded, shattering the base of the tree.

Raid easily kept his balance as the tree slowly began to fall. As he closed in on Sasuke's position, Raid leaped from the tree. Sasuke held his position, waiting for Raid. Raid came in slightly above Sasuke and lashed out, Sasuke's block connecting with a resounding clang. The force of their strikes and blocks somehow kept Raid suspended in the air above Sasuke. Sasuke's next strike slammed against Raid's block with enough force to send Raid flying straight up several meters, leaving him perched on the railing in front of the audience.

Raid threw off his over-shirt, revealing a third wakazashi strapped hilt down on his back. Reaching back, Raid drew the blade, forcing chakra into it as he did, again causing it to lengthen to a full sized katana. Raid then simply leaned forward and fell head first at Sasuke.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan as Raid vanished, reappearing under Sasuke's guard and kicking him away from the wall. Raid followed him into the air and they fought for several seconds before Sasuke kicked Raid back again. They both created Kage Bushins behind themselves and used them to jump back into the fray. Sasuke swept both of Raid's swords to one side and, spinning in a complete circle struck at Raid's stomach with his katana. Raid, seeing that his own blades were out of position to block, brought his left shin into the path of Sasuke's sweeping strike, halting the blade with a clang. Sasuke's eyebrows shot up. "What are you wearing under there?"

Raid smirked. "Another sword. Why?" He replied as he lashed out at Sasuke, only to have his strike blocked. Raid twisted around in mid air and slammed his foot into the hilt of Sasuke's katana, ripping it from his hands. He discarded his blades and did some quick hand seals and began charging Chidori. As the two teens fell, Raid grabbed Sasuke's shirt with his right hand to keep him between him and the ground. "We wanted flashy so how about this?" Raid shouted as they both hit the ground, resulting in a huge explosion of dust. When all the dust settled, Sasuke was pinned under Raid, who had his left arm buried up to the elbow in the ground next to Sasuke's head. "I win Sasuke-kun." Raid said as he ripped his arm from the ground.

"I forfeit." Sasuke said as Raid stood and helped him up. Raid retrieved his swords and they both left the arena. When they were ascending the stairs, Sasuke suddenly remembered one of the Uchiha family laws. "Raid-kun wait. I almost forgot one of the Uchiha family laws."

"Which says what?" Raid asked suspicious.

"That if the family is ever reduced to dangerously low numbers, like now, and one of the heirs to the clan is defeated and allowed to live, like what just happened between you and me, then the victor is inducted into the clan and given on the our ancestors eyes." Sasuke said.

"So you're saying I'm like an honorary Uchiha now?" Raid said in awe.

"Nothing 'honorary' about it. You ARE Uchiha. When you receive your new eye, a mutation starts in your other eye to activate the Sharingan in it. Once that happens, you will be able to pass our bloodline on to your children." Sasuke said with a smirk. He turned to Raid and realized that he was talking to an empty hall. "Raid-kun?"

"Down here." Raid said, prompting Sasuke to look down the stairs they had just climbed.

Sasuke sweat dropped. "What kind of ninja falls down the stairs?" Sasuke deadpanned.

"HEY! Cut me a little slack. You just told me I'm becoming part of one of the most illustrious clans in Konoha. I'm allowed to be a little shocked right?" Raid asked indignantly.

"Well you might want to get un-shocked soon, because you do have to fight again." Sasuke reminded Raid as he climbed the stairs again and they continued to the contestant box. "And your next match is against Jade-chan of all people."

"AW, HEYELL NO!" Raid shouted. "Damn. I didn't want to have to forfeit this soon…" Raid muttered as they walked into the contestant waiting room and both found themselves suddenly staring at the ceiling.

"That was awesome Sasuke-kun!" Naruto squealed, reminding everyone of a much less annoying Sakura.

"You should wear less clothing more often, Raid-sama." Kin said, causing Raid to blush.

"I agree Raid-sama." Lyn said, admiring his now mostly exposed torso.

"Girls, I'd really like to watch this next match." Raid said as Gaara and Shino entered the arena. Kin and Lyn both stood and Raid approached the railing in time to see Shino forfeit. "Damn, I thought that was going to be a good match." Raid commented as Lyn and Kin pulled him back to the ground.

Gaara exploded into a cloud of sand, reappearing in the contestant box with a bang.

"Show off." Jade murmured as she came up next to Gaara. Gaara caught Temari's eye and signaled her to meet him in the hall, then steered Jade out of the room with him.

Hall

Temari was leaned against the wall when Jade and Gaara walked up. "What did you need Gaara-nii-san?"

"Temari-nee-san, I want you to forfeit your match with Naru-san." Gaara said, cutting straight to the point.

"What? Why?" Temari asked, shocked.

"Orochimaru-teme is going the signal the invasion during my next match."

"What invasion?" Jade asked, alarmed.

"The Suna-Oto invasion of Konoha." Gaara replied, as if it were common knowledge.

"WHAT?! I have to go tell someone!" Jade exclaimed as she turned to find someone to warn.

Gaara wrapped her in sand and brought her back to his side. "Hokage-sama already knows. I want you and me to be in the arena when Orochimaru-teme signals the invasion because I am turning on Oto and Suna."

"What?!" This time it was Temari who shouted.

"I have finally found someplace I feel I can belong." Gaara said with a glance at Jade. "You think I'm gonna help destroy it?"

"Then I'm gonna help you." Temari responded.

"Let's go, and remember, fight to kill. The enemy will do the same." Gaara said as he released Jade.

"Aniki!" I've got to warn him!" Jade said.

"Go ahead, but be careful. Hokage-sama doesn't want a panic."

"Hai." Jade replied as the three of them returned to the contestant box.

Contestant Box

As Temari and Naruto went to the arena, Jade used the silent code she had developed with Raid to contact him.

_'Take Sasuke-kun and Lee-kun and hide yourselves above the Kage seating. Tell Lyn to return to the seal. Prepare to fight for your life.' _Jade signaled

_'Hai.' _Raid responded as he passed on the message on to Lyn, who dispelled herself to return to Naruto. _'Who's attacking?'_

_'__Oto and Suna are betraying us. Be careful, they are being lead by Oro-teme.'_

_'Hai. Good luck!' _Raid signaled as he grabbed Sasuke and took off to find Lee.

"Raid-kun, what about your match with Jade-chan?" Sasuke asked puzzled.

"Something else has come up. I'll send a kage bushin to forfeit. We have to find Lee-kun." Raid said.

"What's going on?" Sasuke asked as Raid spotted Lee.

"I'll explain in a minute. We have to go now. Raid said as he grabbed Lee and took off toward the Kage seating.

"My most youthful rival! What has happened?"

Raid glanced toward the arena to see Temari and Naruto walking off the field. "We're going to be attacked during Gaara-kun and Anee-chan's match." Raid said as he sent a kage bushin to forfeit his match with Jade. "We are going to hide on the roof of the kage balcony and assist Hokage-sama in any way we can."

"This is a most youthful goal! We will succeed for we are in the Springtime of Youth!" Lee exclaimed, causing both Sasuke and Raid to roll their eyes.

When they landed on the roof, Raid spiked his three wakazashis into the roof, creating a triangle. He then crouched down in the middle of the triangle and started a long series of hand seals. "Step inside the triangle." Raid said as he neared the end of his technique. Sasuke and Lee stepped in with Raid as he hit the final seal. "Ninpo: Kamereono no Jutsu!"

Nothing happened.

"What was this jutsu supposed to do again?" Sasuke asked with sweat drop.

"We have become invisible to everyone outside the three swords." Raid replied with a smirk.

"Now what?" Lee asked.

"Now we wait." Raid replied as he checked his weapons.

The Arena

Gaara and Jade stood in front of Genma staring at each other.

"Final first round match: Sabaku no Gaara versus Miyuki Jade. Hajime!"

At the proctor's call, Jade shot forward and unleashed a powerful taijutsu combo on Gaara. Gaara didn't even flinch as each strike was blocked by his sand.

Seeing her taijutsu assault fail, Jade hopped back and hurled a double fistful of kunai at Gaara. The sand blocked all but one of the kunai. The kunai that got through deflected off his hitai-ate, leaving a long scar across the Suna symbol.

((A/N: Saxyguy – Has anyone ever heard of foreshadowing? Just thought I'd ask.))

Jade flitted through some hand seals before announcing her technique. "Mokuton: Soutei Kontei no Jutsu!" Roots and vines sprouted from the ground under Gaara and wrapped around his legs before constricting, causing Gaara to explode into sand.

Sand swelled up behind Jade and then collapsed on itself, revealing Gaara, who was completely unhurt.

When 'Gaara' exploded, Jade jumped forward and began some hand seals. She pivoted on her landing and shouted "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

As the fireball approached Gaara, the sand began to form a sphere around him to block it. Just before the sphere was completed, Jade emerged from the ground and dove into the sphere. The fireball quickly dissipated as the bushin forming the jutsu dispelled, revealing a perfect sphere of sand. The sounds emanating from the sphere made it sound as though several thousand nin battled in it. The sand suddenly started quivering, as if something inside was attempting to force its way out. Suddenly part of the sphere exploded outward. There was a blur as a human form streaked towards the arena wall before impacting hard enough to leave a rather large crater. Everyone was shocked at the sheer power and brutality Gaara had just displayed. As the dust settled, a form was seen staggering out of the crater.

Gaara stumbled away from the wall and fell to his knees in pain. _'Mental note: never piss Jade-chan off…'_

_**'I could have told you that.'**_

_'Since when are you and I on speaking terms, Baka-tanuki?'_

_**'Since you started dating someone I like.'**_

_'Since when have I ever wanted or needed your… never mind. We'll talk later.' _Gaara thought as the sand blocked another volley of shuriken.

As Jade charged in for another taijutsu bout, the Kage seating exploded into purple smoke. According to their plan, Jade punched out at Gaara. Gaara dodged the strike and grabbed her wrist. Pulling her flush against his body, Gaara crouched down, shielding Jade with his body as weapons impacted all around them.

**Saxyguy – **CLIFFHANGER NO JUTSU!

**Leo – **Beats Saxyguy with a steel chair Baka! Stop tormenting our readers!

**Saxyguy – **That's it! I'm sick of you beating me for no reason! Pulls out an overripe orange in a pair of nylon pantyhose and takes a swing at Leo

Leo ducks and the pantyhose wraps around Saxyguy's head before the orange smashes against his face, spraying citric acid into his eyes.

**Saxyguy – **GAH! MY EYES! IT BURNSES!

**Leo – **There's not really much I can add to his pain… except for this! Pulls out a whistle and blows on it.

Saxyguy was suddenly crushed under the foot of a trained elephant.

**Leo – **Review and I may eventually let Saxyguy, pervert that he is, write a lemon for this fic!


	12. Chapter 11

Saxyguy – Okay folks, fair warning. If you think my updates have been slow before, they're about to get a lot slower. I'm shipping out to boot camp sometime within the next two months.

Leo – So basically you're leaving me to do all the work?

Saxyguy – Like you ever did any work in the first place… OW!

Leo – Pockets the toy submarine she had used to hit Saxyguy. Baka. You started this story and now you're going to leave it unfinished and run of to join the Navy?

Saxyguy – Nope. I still plan on working on all of my stories. I may not be able to bring my laptop to boot camp and tech school, but I can bring a pencil and notebook… You'll just have to type and post them for me.

Leo – Fine. I better be getting something for this.

Saxyguy – You will. I just have to figure out what I'm going to give you.

Chapter 11

Purple smoke billowed out of the Kage seating, obscuring all view of what was happening. A form leaped out of the smoke and landed on the roof above the Kage box.

"Kazekage-san, what are you doing?" Sarutobi asked, faking surprise. The Kazekage reached up and whipped his hat off, revealing none other than Orochimaru. After a brief scuffle involving some high level jutsu, Orochimaru's subordinates appeared and trapped them all in a barrier Ninjutsu. Orochimaru smirked as he summoned twin coffins in front of him. His expression turned sour when Sarutobi countered the third coffin.

"Why do you disturb their rest? Are you afraid to face me alone?" Sarutobi asked as the Shodaime and Niidaime Hokages stepped out of the coffins. For all his bravado, Sarutobi knew he was in trouble. _'__He__ summoned them in their prime… even one would be troublesome, but two?' _He thought as Raid appeared in front of him, Sasuke and Lee flanking him.

"We're here to help you Hokage-sama." Raid said. As Raid spoke, Lee removed his new weights and reassembled them into a metal staff. Raid passed one of his swords to Sasuke and drew one for himself.

The Shodaime and Niidaime both began hand seals. The Niidaime finished first and launched a water dragon and the Hokage.

Lee appeared in front of it and batted it aside with his staff. "We may only be genin but don't underestimate us!"

When the Shodaime finished his seals, trees began to sprout from the roof, resulting in a cubic forest contained by the barrier.

Sarutobi summoned Enma and turned him into his staff form.

Raid murmured a quick prayer and a chain grew from the hilt of his katana. ((A/N: Saxyguy – Cookies to anyone who can name the anime, cake for who can name the character that uses the sword, and free intoxicants to whoever can give me the sword's Japanese name.))

With a mental command, Orochimaru sent his two 'zombies' after the four nin.

Sarutobi rushed the Shodaime while Lee, Sasuke and Raid charged the Niidaime. Lee reached the former Hokage first and slammed the end of his staff into the older nin's stomach. As the Niidaime bent forward with the force of the blow, he smashed a fist into Lee's face. Lee flipped back, lessening the force of the strike and kicking the Niidaime in the chin. The force of Lee's kick stood the Niidaime up on his toes. Sasuke arrived next, dashing under Lee to sever the Niidaime's legs at the knees. Raid planted a foot on Sasuke's back and shot forward, slicing off the Niidaime's left arm before landing in a crouch behind him.

The corpse never even hit the ground. Before their very eyes, his severed limbs re-grew.

"Now what?" Raid asked just in time for the barrier to flicker and die.

"Now help arrives." Gaara said as he launched a volley of suna shuriken at the zombie.

"The four of us will handle this one." Jade said as she appeared at Raid's elbow. "Hokage-sama needs help now."

Raid looked over the see Sarutobi flanked by the Shodaime and Orochimaru. Raid dashed towards the fight as Sarutobi dodged a blow from the Shodaime, leaving him wide open for Orochimaru. Thinking quickly, Raid lashed out with his chain and wrapped it around the Shodaime's arm, freezing it in a block of ice. Raid dove forward as Sarutobi turned around to see Orochimaru's sword descending. Raid slammed into Sarutobi, pushing him out of the way. Unfortunately, his hands got tangled, so he brought his leg up and caught Orochimaru's blade across the shin. The sword sliced through his pant leg like it was tissue before being halted with a clang.

Orochimaru's eyes grew wide. "Just how many swords are you carrying?" He asked as the bottom half of Raid's pant leg fell away to reveal a fourth sword.

"Like I'd tell you!" Raid shouted as he stabbed the Shodaime through the foot, freezing his leg and immobilizing him. He drew the wakazashi on his leg and used it to block a flurry of strikes from Orochimaru before leaping back. He smirked. "Let's see how good you really are." Raid said as he channeled his chakra. "Howl, Zabimaru!" He shouted, turning the sword into a jagged chain sword. Raid glanced to the other fight just in time to see Gaara simply crush the Niidaime while everyone else moved to help Raid.

"Pitiful fools. You are all insects compared to me!" Orochimaru shouted as he appeared in front of Raid and brought his sword down in a brutal slice.

Raid screamed in pain as he fell back, clutching the left side of his face. Suddenly, Enma's staff form filled Orochimaru's vision before he was slammed away from the genin. "You have gone too far this time!" Sarutobi shouted as he charged Orochimaru again. Sarutobi slammed Orochimaru to the ground again, keeping him off balance and unable to counter. Suddenly, Orochimaru's right arm snapped out straight while sand held his other arm. Orochimaru glanced back to see Raid somehow back on his feet and charging a Chidori. Sasuke stood next to him doing the same.

"In vengeance for injuring me and attempting to destroy my village," Raid began. "I will take your arms. Have fun learning all those jutsu without them." Raid finished as he and Sasuke charged. Orochimaru began to struggle frantically against the sand and string holding him in place. The sound of birds chirping filled his ears, becoming a deafening screech.

"Chidori!" Sasuke and Raid shouted in unison, both plunging their hands into, and through, Orochimaru's shoulders before Gaara and Jade finished the job and ripped his arms off.

Orochimaru fell to his knees with a scream. The three surviving members of the sound four appeared and quickly vanished with Orochimaru in tow.

Raid collapsed with a groan. Sarutobi rushed over to him. He forced Raid to swallow a blood pill before he inspected the damage. "I'm sorry my boy, but this is beyond my ability to heal." He said. "Even with surgery, you've lost your eye." Sarutobi finished, saddened, as Kurenai, Gai, and Kakashi appeared around him. Kurenai immediately dropped to her knees and began a series of hand seals. Her hands began to glow green and she pressed her palm to Raid's wound, causing the bleeding to slow and numbing some of the pain.

"How goes the fight?" Sarutobi asked.

"Mostly over. There are still small pockets of shinobi we have not yet apprehended." Kakashi replied.

"Good. Kakashi-kun, you escort Kurenai-chan and Raid-kun to the hospital. Gai-kun, please bring me Neji-kun." Sarutobi said as Kurenai stood cradling Raid.

"Hai Hokage-sama." The three jounin replied before leaping off to their assigned tasks.

"Jade-san, come here." The Shodaime spoke. Everyone whipped around to see that he was still pinned to the roof.

"Shouldn't you have vanished by now?" Jade asked.

"Yes. And I will shortly but there is something I must give you first."

"Why me Shodaime-sama?" Jade asked.

"Because you are of my bloodline." He said as he reached into his pouch and pulled out a scroll. He unrolled it, proving that there were no traps in it. "This scroll contains every Mokuton jutsu I've ever created. I want you to have it." He finished before he tossed her the scroll.

"Thank you Shodaime-sama. May you rest in peace." Jade said as she rolled the scroll up and placed it in her pouch.

The mood for the rest of the day was rather somber. It was soon announced among he ninja community that the Godaime would soon be named, because in his fight, Sarutobi had horribly damaged his chakra coils. Lyn took up a vow of vengeance against Orochimaru when she found out he was responsible for Raid's eye. Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro were instated as Konoha nin for helping during the invasion. The council tried to convince Jiraiya to become the Godaime, but he said he'd rather chew off his own arm. He did; however, offer to track down Tsunade and bring her back. The council accepted his offer and Jiraiya began preparations to leave.

The next morning, Jiraiya left, taking Jade and Naruto with him.

Raid woke up in the hospital two days later. Three people he expected were missing. On person he didn't expect was there.

"Kurenai-sensei? Is there something I can help you with?" Raid asked causing the older woman to giggle.

"I doubt it, seeing as how you probably can't do much for yourself at the moment. Although I am curious, why were you on the rooftop with Hokage-sama?" Kurenai asked.

Raid touched the bandages wrapped across his eye. "We were assisting him in battle."

"How? While you are no doubt skilled, those nin were far beyond your level. You could have died."Kurenai said sternly.

"If I had died then at least I would have died doing my duty to the village." Raid quipped.

"I never did hear how you lost your eye." Kurenai said.

"I lost it for taunting Oro-teme." Raid said with a straight face.

"Taunting…" Kurenai began in shock. "What possessed you to taunt the most powerful of the Sannin?" Kurenai asked as Kin walked in with a tray of food. Just then, Raid's stomach let out a loud growl.

Raid took one look at the food and his appetite all but disappeared. _'I hate hospital food…'_ Kin sat down on the edge of Raid's bed as Kurenai excused herself.

"How are you feeling?" Kin asked as she set the tray down on a side table.

"Slightly lopsided." Raid joked. _'Did that roll just move?!' _Raid reached over and grabbed his chopsticks before stabbing the roll.

Kin raised an eyebrow. "What was that about?"

"It moved so I killed it." Raid said with a straight face, causing Kin to sigh and roll her eyes. Just then, the noodles on the tray reared back and lunged at Kin, causing her to tumble from the bed with a shout of surprise. They both heard the sounds of female laughter retreating down the hall. "I'm gonna get her for that one." Raid said as he dispelled Kurenai's genjutsu. Then he came up with a truly sinister idea. _'Yes! Sasuke-kun and I have found our first victim!'_

((A/N: Saxyguy: So Kurenai has jokes now, who knew?))

"So how are you going to compensate for your eye?" Kin asked as she sat back on Raid's bed.

"I won't have to. I go into surgery today to have it replaced. You remember my match with Sasuke-kun?"

"Yeah, why?"

"When i won that match, I became an Uchiha. Now Uchiha elders are not buried but entombed in ice, keeping them perfectly preserved. So, this morning they thawed out one of the elders and removed his left eye. Sasuke is giving me the Sharingan." Raid explained.

"Like Kakashi-sensei's?"

"No, better. What Kakashi-sensei got was an immature version of the Sharingan, resulting in the fact that he can't turn it off. Not only will I be able to turn the eye on and off, but after a time, my other eye will activate. When that happens, I will be able to pass the Sharingan on to my children."

"Wow. So between you and Sasuke-kun, reviving the Uchiha clan can actually happen." Kin said as a doctor walked in.

"I'm sorry miss, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave. He needs to be prepared for surgery." The doctor said.

Kin turned and gave Raid a quick peck on the lips. "Good luck with your surgery. I'll see you when it's over."

In a village not too far from Konoha

"So how are we gonna find Tsunade-san anyway?" Naruto asked.

"Simple. Tsunade-chan has two major weaknesses. The happen to be sake and gambling. We'll find her by visiting bars and gambling dens." Jiraiya replied.

"And we want her to be Hokage why?" Naruto asked before walking into someone.

"Hey! Watch where you're going punk!" the man shouted.

"What, do you own the road or sumthin'?" Naruto shouted back.

"Why you little…" the man shouted as he drew his fist back.

Jiraiya stepped in and hit the man with an open palm, sending the man tumbling back.

_'That was no ordinary palm strike…'_ Jade thought as they walked away.

"Hey Ero-sennin! What did you do to that guy back there?" Naruto asked.

"That technique is called Rasengan. It was one of the Yondaime's personal jutsu. Would you like me to teach it to you?"

"HELL YES!" Naruto shouted. She was so excited that she was literally vibrating.

"Okay, but it's going to be hard." Jiraiya warned.

Three days later: random bar

During the past three days, the only thing then found out was that Jade never lost at gambling. Consequently, she had taken to the chore of visiting the gambling dens looking for the Legendary Sucker. So far she's had no luck.

Naruto's Rasengan training was going well. She had already mastered the first two stages and was currently working diligently on the third.

They had just entered the bar when a voice shouted. "You!" causing all three of them to look over.

"Oh hey Unlucky-san, here to fork over your wallet again?" Jade asked.

Jiraiya's eyebrow started to twitch. "Jade-chan, how long have you known this woman?"

"Since the first night I went gambling. I clean her out every time." Jade replied with a smirk.

"THIS IS TSUNADE-CHAN!" Jiraiya roared.

"Ero-sennin, you have veins bugging out all over your face…" Naruto commented.

"So, Jiraiya kun. What has you looking for me?" Tsunade asked as she was joined by her assistant Shizune with their pet pig Tonton.

"Let's take a seat. I'll explain over a few drinks."

"Alright." Tsunade replied as she led them back to her table.

15 minutes later

"…So the council wants to offer you the position of Godaime Hokage." Jiraiya finished.

"No. it's a stupid job and anyone who takes it is a fool." Tsunade said.

The sound of breaking wood caused the bar to go silent as Naruto turned the table into kindling with one strike. She lunged at Tsunade and grabbed the front of her jacket. "Take that back!"

"No."

"Then let's take this outside." Naruto growled before releasing Tsunade and leaving the bar. Tsunade and the rest of the group followed her out.

"Before we start, why do you care so much about the Hokage name?"

"My reasons are my own. Now fight me. If you win, I may tell you."

"IF I win? I only need one finger to take you down." Tsunade said, holding up her right index finger.

"You don't know who I am do you?" Naruto asked as she hurled a kunai at Tsunade.

"I know you're about to get beat. That's enough for me." Tsunade said as she ducked the kunai.

Naruto smirked. "Then you're underestimating me. Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"

Lyn appeared. "Tsunade no Sannin, the medic who's afraid of blood." Lyn sighed and shook her head. "And to think at one time I respected you."

_'That's no ordinary Kage Bushin…' _Tsunade thought.

"Gaki, how long have you been able to pull Kyuubi out of the seal?" Jiraiya asked, causing Tsunade's eyebrows the shoot up.

"Since the Chuunin preliminaries."

"Hold up! The Kyuubi gaki is a boy!" Tsunade said, causing Jade and Jiraiya to flinch.

"On second thought, Lyn, sit this one out." Naruto growled. _'My control isn't quite up to snuff yet, but it's worth a shot.' _Naruto thought as she formed a Rasengan.

"Well gaki, you're just full of suprises, but I stand by what I said earlier. I'll still only need one finger."

Naruto charged. Tsunade waited until Naruto had almost reached her before she brought up her hand and flicked Naruto across the forehead, sending her tumbling back and causing the Rasengan to disperse.

"Jiraiya-kun, what were you thinking? She'll never master that jutsu."

"I will to!" Naruto shouted.

"Fine, we'll make a bet on it. If you can master Rasengan in seven days, I will become Hokage ad I'll even give you this…" Tsunade said showing her the Shodaime's necklace. "And when you lose, you have to give up on your dream."

"Deal. Take care of my necklace." Naruto said as she turned and walked away to find a place to train.

Back in Konoha

Raid was crouched on one of the three training posts in the middle of training ground seven. His two toned eyes scanned the surrounding forest. He sighed, closed his eyes, and began to meditate. Without even opening his eyes, he caught both kunai thrown at him and still flipped Kin onto her back when she tried to grab him from behind. He hopped down from his perch and crouched next to Kin. "I win." Suddenly Raid found himself staring at the sky.

"You know, for someone with the Sharingan, you leave yourself open to genjutsu a lot." Kurenai said from her seat on Raid's chest.

Raid attempted to struggle free but Kurenai simply pinned his arms with her knees.

"You wouldn't catch me so often if I didn't have to worry about Sasuke-kun and Kin-chan jumping me while I looked for you." Raid said with as much arrogance as he could muster, which wasn't much considering he was pinned by a girl five years his senior. _'She doesn't even have to use her arms to keep me down… is this the best I can do?' _Raid thought to himself.

"Well this happens to be the fastest way to train you to use your new eye." Sasuke said as he stepped out of the trees.

"Throwing myself at a hopeless situation?" Raid asked, sarcasm dripping from his words.

"No. by confronting someone better than you. At least now you can predict Sasuke-kun and Kin-chan." Kurenai said as she stood and helped Raid up.

"You're right." Raid said. "Let's go again." _'Besides, I think I can get you this time Kurenai-sensei. The last time, I almost saw you.'_ Raid thought as he hopped back atop the post. Raid created two Kage bushins atop the other two posts.

Sasuke and Kin both broke from the trees and charged Raid, hurling Kunai and senbon at the two clones to dispel them. They both hopped to the side and rebounded off the outside posts to attack Raid from opposite sides.

Raid blocked both attacks with a smirk. "Boom." He said before exploding into arcs of lightning, stunning both genin into a stupor.

_'So that's what happens when I use my affinity with Bushin __Dai__bakuha__. That will be useful later…' _Raid thought as he scanned his surroundings with his Sharingan.

With Kurenai

_'That was a rather interesting way of removing Sasuke-kun and Kin-chan from the equation. Guess he's gonna try to come after me now…'_

"I win Kurenai-sensei." Raid spoke from behind her.

Kurenai turned around. "How do you figure?"

"Because we're not in the forest anymore. We're currently in the clearing and I have you pinned." Raid said at the trees dissolved. Kurenai looked around, spotting Sasuke and Kin before she realized her wrists were bound and pinned above her head. She looked down at Raid, who was kneeling over her with a kunai at her throat. He started to fall forward before placing his left hand next to Kurenai's head.

"Raid-kun, are you okay?" Kurenai asked, recognizing the signs of severe chakra drain.

"Yeah…" Raid gasped before he slowed his breathing to normal. "I'm surprised you haven't asked how I caught you."

"I don't have to ask. You knew I would be looking for something large of sloppy, so you used several smaller, well-constructed genjutsu to trap me. Not bad for someone who has no talent in genjutsu."

"Now here's were I have to apologize. The only reason I could do what I did is because I have been copying you the entire time we've been training. Gomen nasai." Raid said as he bowed his head in shame.

"Well I'm not particularly happy about you copying my techniques without asking." Kurenai said as she worked herself free. "… at least you owned up to it. As your punishment, you will train with me to earn these techniques, and you better believe I'm gonna put you through hell."

"Hai, Kurenai-sensei." Raid said as he flopped over onto his back next to Kurenai. "Is training over?" He asked as Kurenai finished freeing herself.

"Hai. Let's wake up…" Kurenai began, only to realize Sasuke and Kin were gone. In their place was a note.

_-We got hungry and went for some food. See you tomorrow at the normal time.-_

Raid sighed. "She's lucky I was joking about the 'working for me' thing…" Raid muttered before turning to Kurenai. "Would you like to get some food?"

"Raid-kun, are you asking me out on a date?" Kurenai said teasingly.

"Nope. Lyn-chan would kill me… unless…" Raid began before he blushed. "No I'm not going to ask that."

"Ask what?" Kurenai asked, genuinely curious.

"Nothing. So are we going to get something to eat or are we going to stand around so you can interrogate me?"

"As long as it's dango." Kurenai said before she and Raid walked off the training ground.

Saxyguy – And that's the next chapter folks.

Leo – Took you long enough.

Saxyguy – I don't see you helping any!

Leo – Whips out a king from a giant chess set and beats Saxyguy with it. I help plenty you lazy-ass piece of shit!

Saxyguy – OW! Review or OW! I'll sick Leo on you. OW!


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Outside of a popular gambling town

Jade sat in a tree, playing with her practice puppet Jiraiya had given her. She wasn't focused on her training; she was out here to keep an eye on Naruto, who had a tendency to overdo it with her training. Jade had been out in the tree for five days and Naruto had already perfected Rasengan. Getting bored, Jade hopped out of her tree to talk to Naruto.

"Oi! Naru-chan! You've already perfected Rasengan so why not show it to Tsunade-san so we can head back?" Jade hailed as she walked towards her friend.

"You're right. We should just get this over with. I wanted to see if I could form two at once though." Naruto said as she followed Jade back to the town to find Jiraiya and Tsunade.

"You can train that just as well in Konoha." Jade retorted as they reached the outskirts of the town.

Suddenly, both Jade and Naruto felt a chill run up their spine. _'What's this ominous feeling?' _They both thought, just before having to dodge several thrown kunai. They stopped and turned to face their attackers. Recognition was plain in both of their eyes.

"Awww hell…" Naruto said, looking at the two nin in front of them. "I have a question for you Itachi-san, why did you slaughter you clan?"

For an instant, Itachi seemed less cold, more like the Itachi Naruto used to know. "It's all in here." He said as eh tossed Naruto a scroll. Then the aura of coldness returned. "Now you will come with us."

Naruto pocketed the scroll. "We'll see about that." She said as she prepared a Rasengan.

Jade hurled several kunai at Itachi while Naruto charged Kisame. Itachi easily deflected all of the kunai. Jade smirked before pulling her hands apart, causing all the wires around Itachi to constrict, leaving him immobile. Naruto thrust the Rasengan at Kisame's stomach, only to have him block with his sword. As soon as the ball of chakra touched the blade, it vanished, leaving Naruto with her hand resting flat against Samehada. Kisame smirked as he began to pull the blade up, intending to rip off Naruto's hand, but she grabbed one of the protruding spikes on the blade and jerked it out of Kisame's hand before hurling it to the street below. Jade smirked at the captured Itachi, careful not to look into his eyes, before she pulled him from his feet the wire. She twirled him in two complete circles before releasing the wire, sending him tumbling through the front of a nearby building.

Elsewhere

Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Shizune were enjoying some sake when they heard a crash from the street. They looked over just in time to see Itachi crash through the front of the building and tumble to a stop. Tsunade appeared above him and smashed her fist down on his chest, crushing his heart and lungs as Jiraiya dashed off to find Naruto. When he cleared the rubble caused by Itachi's impromptu entrance, he looked up to see Kisame flying at him. He charged a Rasengan and slammed it into Kisame's chest, killing him.

"Oh there you are ero-sennin." Naruto said as she and Jade dropped from the roof.

Jiraiya had to pick up his jaw. "Did you two just…?" He pointed at the destruction caused by Itachi.

"Actually that was all Jade-chan." Naruto said.

"And…" he pointed at Kisame's body at his feet.

"That one was Naru-chan." Jade replied. There was a poof of smoke from Samehada and Kisame's body. When it cleared, Samehada was gone and Kisame was no longer Kisame.

"What the…?" Naruto began.

Jiraiya looked thoughtful. "If I had to guess, I'd say it was a new jutsu that transfers the user's mind, appearance and a small portion of raw ability into another body. You both were very lucky."

"Oh! Where's Tsunade-baachan? I have a bet to win." Naruto said as Tsunade appeared behind her.

"Don't call me that!" She shouted as she thumped Naruto on the top of the head. "Now, you got something to show me?"

"Yeah, this." Naruto said as she pulled out a balloon. After a few seconds, she pulled out a kunai and popped it, revealing a perfect Rasengan. She held it for a few more seconds before allowing the chakra to disperse.

"Well looks like I've got a job to fill." Tsunade said before removing her necklace and putting it around Naruto's neck.

"Alright! Back to Konoha!" Naruto shouted, thrusting a fist into the air.

_**'Woot! I get to see Raid-kun again!'**_ Lyn shouted in Naruto's mind as the group started on the road back to Konoha.

Konoha's Gates: 5 Days Later

The two guards on duty were bored out of their skulls. Konoha had doubled its security since Orochimaru's attack. Both guards spotted the six approaching figures at the same time. They tensed as the six people broke into a run, only to relax when they recognized Jiraiya.

"Jiraiya no Sannin returning with Tsunade no Sannin." Jiraiya said. "Mission successful."

One of the guards signaled the men at the top of the wall to open the gates. As soon as the gates were open, Naruto, Lyn, and Jade vanished to find their boys; leaving Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Shizune to face the council.

"Damn those kids!" Jiraiya complained. "If I have to suffer, they should to!"

Training ground 8

The girls arrived in the clearing to see the boys, plus Kurenai and Kin, resting after a particularly strenuous training session. Gaara and Sasuke were sitting watching the clouds while Gaara smoked. Raid was laying on his stomach using Kin's lap as a pillow while Kurenai massaged his back. Jade and Naruto took seats next to Gaara and Sasuke while Lyn sat next to Raid.

"What's this?" Lyn asked, indicating Kurenai, who was currently straddling Raid for leverage while she pressed down on his back.

"I pulled hurt myself trying to take on Gaara-kun, Sasuke-kun, Kin-chan, and Kurenai-sensei at once. Kurenai-sensei offered me a massage." Raid said simply.

"Actually, I have been waiting for you to get back. I needed to talk to you." Kurenai said to Lyn.

"Okay, talk." Lyn replied.

"Can we take a walk? It's private." Kurenai asked as she stood.

"Sure." Lyn said. She stood and followed Kurenai out into the woods. They walked for a few minutes before Kurenai stopped and tuned to face Lyn.

"I have a confession to make." Kurenai said.

"Oh? And what would the 'Ice Queen of Konoha' want to confess to me?" Lyn asked with a smirk.

"I care for Raid-kun." Kurenai replied with a blush. "He has all the qualities I had hoped Asuma-kun would have developed, even if he is a few years younger then me."

"And you're telling me this, why?" Lyn asked.

"I know I have no right to ask, but I want to have some part of him."

"That is a very big favor to ask." Lyn said. "I will allow you to share him with Kin-chan and I on one condition." Lyn finished as she began to walk towards Kurenai slowly.

"And that is?" Kurenai asked, taking a step back, only to run into a tree.

Lyn stepped right up to Kurenai and wrapped her tails around her. "You have to be willing to share yourself as well." Lyn replied as she placed her hands on Kurenai's cheeks and kissed her. Kurenai felt her body heat up as she began to return the kitsune's kiss. Lyn upped the ante by slipping her tongue into Kurenai's mouth. Kurenai moaned into Lyn's mouth as they kissed; exploring each other's mouth until they had to separate for air. Lyn slid her left hand down Kurenai's neck and across the swell of her right breast, causing the genjutsu mistress to moan once more. "Do you accept my terms? Or do you need a bit more convincing?" Lyn whispered as she licked her way down Kurenai's neck before nipping at her collar bone.

"I'm sold, but convince me anyway." Kurenai gasped.

"One more thing, and not even Raid knows this one. When I take a mortal as a mate, they become a hanyou, or half-demon. They grow ears and a tail, and live as long as I do. If you decide to go through with this, keep that in mind." Lyn warned as she slowly wormed two of her tails through Kurenai's dress.

"I don't care; I just want to be with you all." Kurenai said. She gasped in shock when she felt Lyn's tails brush over her nipples.

"One more thing, you can end up growing more tails as you grow more powerful, but you will never be able to assume a full demon body, you know, fifty foot all death machine. The changes will not happen until you and I actually mate for the first time, so you have nothing to worry about, yet." Lyn said as she pulled away from Kurenai, causing the other woman to whine softly in displeasure. Lyn leaned forward and gave her one more kiss on the lips before they turned to return to the clearing. When they got back, they found Sasuke and Naruto under a tree snuggling and whispering to each other; Gaara, Kiba, and Jade up in a tree talking; and Raid sleeping on his back, still using Kin's lap as a pillow. Lyn sat next to Kin and leaned her head on her shoulder while Kurenai kneeled directly across from them and leaned down to kiss Raid right on the lips.

_'She tastes just like Lyn-chan…' _Raid thought as he awoke and opened his two toned eyes. As Kurenai pulled back, Raid spoke up. "Ne, Kure-chan, why do you taste like Lyn-chan?"

"Because we were just making out." The Kitsune replied brightly.

"Lyn-chan, didn't I say what I wanted to talk about was private?" Kurenai asked, blushing profusely.

"Yep, you did. We're the only ones here. Everyone else left when you kissed Raid-kun." Lyn said, causing Kurenai to look around and realize they were alone. "Besides, it's not like you'd be able to hide being bisexual from Raid-kun for long." Lyn finished slyly.

"So that's why you didn't want to go to the onsen the other day?" Kin asked, earning a nod from a still blushing Kurenai.

Just then, Raid's stomach let out a loud growl. "Who's up for dango?" Raid asked, drawing excited looks from the three girls. They all got up and took off for the nearest dango stand.

With Jade and company

"Why did we have to leave? I was just getting comfortable." Kiba complained as the walked down the street.

"Comfortable or not, I do not want to watch Aniki make out with his girls." Jade said.

"Well now what are we gonna do?" Naruto asked, walking arm in arm with Sasuke.

"Well I know what I'm doing." Gaara said as he pulled out a plastic bag and a grinder. Gaara dumped the contents of the bag in the grinder and stowed the bag.

"Do you mind letting me try some?" Sasuke asked as Gaara twisted the lid closed and ground up his weed.

"No problem man. Anyone else?" Gaara asked as he packed some of the contents of the grinder into the glass pipe.

"I'll try some." Jade said.

"Okay, but let's head over to training ground 9 first. Smoking may be legal, but it's still frowned on." Gaara replied as he closed the grinder and pocketed it.

Training Ground 9

The five nin dropped from the trees into the clearing to find it empty. Gaara sat in between Jade and Sasuke and pulled out his pipe. Kiba sat on Jade's other side while Naruto sat is Sasuke's lap. Gaara lit the pipe with a weak Katon jutsu and they proceeded to smoke. After they finished the weed in the pipe, Gaara pulled out his grinder and packed it again.

"Where do you get this stuff man?" Sasuke asked as Gaara took a drag.

"I have connections in the civilian part of town." Gaara replied as he passed the pipe to Jade who passed it to Sasuke.

"I'm done; I don't wanna lose my edge." Jade explained.

Just as Sasuke and Gaara finished the bowl, two green blurs slammed into them.

"That's it! Gai-sensei! Lee-san! Get back here!" Jade shouted as her, Naruto, and Kiba took off after the twin green blurs while Gaara and Sasuke peeled themselves off the forest floor.

"Lee-kun! If we cannot escape the ninja chasing us, then we must run 1000 laps around Konoha on our hands while carrying a one ton boulder!" Gai shouted.

"Ossu!" Lee replied as they both sped up.

In Konoha

Raid, Kurenai, Lyn, and Kin had just finished eating. Raid paid the bill and stepped outside for some fresh air while he waited for the girls. Suddenly, something slammed into his side, sending him spinning back inside. He landed in the center of the table he had just left.

"What happened?" Kin asked concerned.

"Gai-sand and Lee-san happened." Kurenai said as she looked out at the street.

Kurenai suddenly felt herself moving very quickly as Raid swept her up in his arms to avoid bowling her over as he took off after Gai and Lee. Lyn and Kin looked at each other for a moment before taking off after them.

Elsewhere in Konoha

Kakashi was walking down the street enjoying the newest volume of Icha Icha Paradise. He had just retuned from a mission and was looking forward to some down time. Suddenly, the wooden wall blocking the alley in front of him exploded outward as Gai and Lee smashed through it at a sprint. Gai leaped to the rooftops as Lee executed a right angle turn and dashed off down the street. Kakashi poked his head around the corner and a kunai took his book from his hands and nailed it to a wall. Sasuke, Naruto, Gaara, Kiba, and Jade followed Gai while Raid, Kurenai, Lyn, and Kin followed Lee. Kakashi stared at his book in shock before joining the group chasing Gai.

"GAI-SAN, MY ETERNAL RIVAL! I WILL PUNISH YOU FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF MY BOOK!" Kakashi roared, losing his mind a little at the destruction of his beloved Icha Icha.

Following Lee

Lee fled down the center of the street. As he approached an intersection, he swerved toward some abandoned scaffolding at the corner of a two story building. He jumped onto the lowest level of the scaffolding and dashed along it, narrowly avoiding two kunai and a handful of senbon. Lee looked back in time to see Raid crash though the platform above him, aiming a kick at his head. Without slowing in the slightest, Lee spun around and deflected Raid's kick, redirecting him off the platform and to the street below. Lee continued to the end of the platform and jumped. He stepped on the top of a lamppost and pitched into a flip to see who was behind him only to nearly catch a kunai in the face courtesy of Kurenai. He came out of his flip and rebounded off the top of a merchant's cart. He twisted around in midair and unleashed a barrage of shuriken at the pursuing nin. He twisted around once more and stepped on a cross-beam spanning the street. Lee continued to hop from lampposts and such as he continued down the street, closely followed by Raid and the rest.

Gai

Gai would have easily outdistanced the nin chasing him if Kakashi hadn't joined in. As it was, he stood little chance of escaping. He leaped from roof to roof, narrowly avoiding suna shuriken and thrown kunai.

"Tsuga!" Kiba shouted as he started to spin and launched after Gai. Gai whipped around and crossed his arms in front of his chest. Kiba slammed into Gai's crossed arms and drove him through a nearby wall. Gai hit the floor and rolled to his feet before leaping out a window and taking to the rooftops once more. He narrowly avoided Naruto's Rasengan and Sasuke's Goukakyuu no Jutsu. Gai smirked as he thought of a place he could go to lose the majority of his pursuit. He opened the first gate and dashed for the edge of town.

Lee

Lee hopped through the trees at the edge of town. He saw a green blur pass him and he opened the first gate to catch up to his sensei. "Now what Gai-sensei?"

"Follow me closely Lee-kun!" Gai shouted as he leaped from the woods toward a fenced in area nearby. Gai landed feet first on Jiraiya's head and leaped over the wall, only to be tackled by Jade and Raid. Lee attempted to follow Gai, only to be kicked into the onsen by Kurenai. Everyone else landed on the fence and watched as the women in the onsen beat the tar out of Gai and Lee. Kurenai heard a perverted giggle behind her and looked back to see Jiraiya scribbling furiously. She sighed and decided to let him slide this time as she turned back to the scene in front of her. By this time, the women had finished with Gai and Lee and turned to see who else was there, only to see Kin, Jade, Lyn, Raid, and Kurenai crouched atop the fence; everyone else having beat a hasty retreat. The women stared at Raid for a second before something struck him in the back and hurled him into the onsen next to Gai and Lee.

Raid resurfaced coughing. He looked up to see he was surrounded by naked women. "Umm… Hi… Please don't kill me…" He stuttered keeping his eyes focused on their faces. _'If I leave this spring alive I swear by Kami that I will break both of Gaara's legs.' _Raid thought as the women around him grinned mischievously. Raid felt a three pairs of arms wrap around him.

"Ours. Go find your own." Kin said possessively as Lyn and Kurenai leveled heated glares at the surrounding women. They left the onsen the same way they entered it and met up with Jade and the rest in the woods.

Raid fixed Gaara with a glare. "That was dangerous! If you ever do that to me again, barring extremely special circumstances, I will break your legs." Raid said before hopping off with Sasuke to continue experimentation on their finite improbability device. Kakashi left to buy a new book, Lyn, Kin, Kurenai, and Naruto followed Sasuke and Raid, and Jade left with Gaara and Kiba to catch a movie.

Saxyguy – alright that's the newest chapter… didn't really like how this one ended, I might come back later and edit it when I have the time, but 'til then you mooks'll have to put up with it. HA!

Leo – what have I told you about taunting the readers? hurls a full pepsi can at Saxyguy's head.

Kurenai – steps over Saxyguy's motionless body. Please review.


	14. Chapter 13

Saxyguy – Sup people, I return with another chapter!

Leo – Did it ever occur to you that writing multiple stories would hurt your updates overall?

Saxyguy – Nope. In fact it helps keep me writing.

Leo – twitch And how does that work?

Saxyguy – Whenever I hit writer's block for one story, I move to another one for a while. It helps, you should try it.

Leo – Hurls a full coke can at Saxyguy's head.

**Chapter 13**

Sasuke hopped the rooftops of Konoha alone and late at night, searching for Naruto. Raid had said he had seen her earlier, and that she looked depressed over something. Sasuke landed on top of Naruto's old apartment building and heard a sob as he started to jump once more. Turning his jump into a flip, he looked back to see Naruto crouched with her back against the door leading to the roof, sobbing her eyes out. His feet barely touched the next rooftop before he was airborne back to Naruto.

"Naru-chan, what's wrong?" Sasuke asked as he pulled his best friend turned girlfriend into his arms.

Naruto sobbed against Sasuke's chest for a few minutes before she finally calmed down enough to speak. "Ero-sennin is taking Jade-chan and I out for a training trip." She mumbled into Sasuke's shirt.

"Then why are you so depressed? You should be happy that one of the Sannin is training you."

"We'll be gone for three years!" Naruto cried before bursting into tears again.

Sasuke sat in shock at what he had just learned. _'Three years without Naru-chan…' _Kept repeating itself over and over in his mind.

"What's to stop you from finding another girl while I'm gone?" Naruto sobbed out, prompting Sasuke to bop her on the head.

"I know I have yet to spell it out for your baka self, but I love you. Three days or three years apart won't change that. Nothing you tell me could." Sasuke said. "And if you ever say anything that completely stupid again, I'll hit you harder. All I want you to worry about is completing Ero-sennin's training and coming back to me in one piece." Sasuke continued, hugging Naruto to his chest.

Outside the Inuzuka compound

Jade stood outside the Inuzuka compound, wondering what she was going to say to Kiba. She heard a yip from behind her and turned to see Kiba standing there with Akamaru.

"Jade-chan, what are you doing here?" Kiba asked, cocking his head to the side like a dog.

"I just came to tell you that I'll be leaving tomorrow morning with Ero-sennin and Naru-chan." Jade said, fidgeting slightly.

"Where are you going?" Kiba asked.

"We're going on a training trip and we'll be gone for three years."

"Oh." Kiba said looking like someone had just kicked Akamaru. "I guess I'll see you when you get back then…" Kiba said as he turned away.

Jade stepped forward and hugged Kiba. "I'll look forward to seeing you." Jade said before she stepped back and leaped to the trees.

Training ground 7

Gaara was seated in the middle of the clearing on training ground seven, staring up at the moon while he smoked. He might be able to sleep now, but he was still an insomniac. When he finished smoking, Gaara uncorked his gourd and formed three perfect spheres of sand in his hands. Thinking for a moment he tossed one of the spheres into the air, followed by another as he caught the fist one in his opposite hand. As he sat in the clearing, teaching himself how to juggle, another presence watched on from the trees.

Jade jumped down and landed next to Gaara, watching as he smoothly tossed and caught the balls of sand. "Is this how you spend every night?"

"Not exactly." Gaara replied without missing a beat. "But mostly. I just sit around, smoke, and teach myself to do things. Tonight was juggling."

Jade sighed before turning to Gaara. "Could you please stop for a moment? I need to talk to you." Jade asked, prompting Gaara to catch the sand spheres and sit them on the ground next to him. "I'm leaving with Ero-sennin and Naru-chan on a training trip."

"That's good right? You get to be trained by one of the best shinobi of our era."

"Normally I'd be excited, but the length of the trip worries me. We'll be gone for three years."

"Have you told Raid-kun?"

"Hai. He said he'd miss me but that I shouldn't worry about it. What do you think?" Jade asked, half hoping Gaara would tell her not to go, but realizing she realistically had no choice.

"As a shinobi of the leaf, you don't really have much of a choice, and you shouldn't worry about it. You can still write to me, and I'll still be here when you get back." Gaara said before draping an arm around Jade's shoulders. "Besides, with Naru-chan gone for that long, somebody's gonna have to prank the hell out of this place. Looks like that job falls to Raid-kun, Sasuke-kun, and me."

"I wish I didn't have to leave you or Kiba-kun. He's been such a good friend too."

"He likes you as more you know." Gaara pointed out.

"I know, but I already have you, so what do I need dog-boy for?" Jade asked.

"Now you're just being hurtful to try to cover up that you like him back." Gaara replied.

Jade was silent for a moment. "I really hate how perceptive you get when you're stoned…"

"I don't care if you have feelings for him. I don't mind sharing my precious people. I'm just happy to have them in the first place." Gaara said, shocking Jade. "Now let's go home. I'm actually starting to get tired.

Uchiha Compound

Raid, Kin, and Kurenai were laying in the grassy courtyard in the Uchiha main house, staring up at the stars. Kin and Kurenai were using Raid's stomach as a pillow as he absently ran his fingers through their hair. Kin rolled over and propped herself up on her elbows, leaning over Kurenai.

"I have a confession to make." Kin said slurring her words slightly because of the sake she had consumed with Kurenai earlier.

"What would that be?" Kurenai asked lazily as she looked up at Kin.

"I love you Kure-chan." Kin said with a smile.

Raid snorted before beginning to giggle at his drunken girlfriend's antics.

"How sweet. I love you to Kin-chan." Kurenai said before pulling Kin down and kissing her. Raid blushed as he watched the two girls make out in front of him. He was about to say something when he heard a thump from behind them. They all looked up to see Lyn standing there.

"I'm sure you already know, but I'm leaving with Naru-chan, Jade-chan, and Ero-baka tomorrow morning." Lyn said with a sigh as she sat down next to them.

"So that means we should kiss you all night to make up for the three years you'll be gone?" Kin asked, causing Lyn and Kurenai to smile.

"Yes. That's exactly what you should do." Raid replied with a smirk.

"Yay!" Kin exclaimed as she tackled Lyn. "I get her first then." She said before sealing her lips over the kitsune's. As the two women made out next to them, Kurenai shifted around so she was laying on her stomach next to Raid.

"No fair that they get to have all the fun." Kurenai murmured with a smile before kissing Raid. While then kissed, Kurenai shifted so she was straddling Raid. She moaned loudly as she felt something soft touch the inside of her thigh and gently slide upwards. Another slid across her back and around to wrap around her left breast and squeeze. Kurenai gasped and looked down to see they were Lyn's tails. The 

one on her thigh wormed its way into her dress and rubbed over her panties before sliding passed them, causing her to throw her head back and gasp once more.

Raid smirked as he pulled the woman on top of him down and softly nipped at her neck. Raid groaned in surprise when Kurenai, in the process of trying to press against the tails teasing her, rubbed against him. Raid glanced over at Lyn and Kin to see that they had pulled apart slightly and three of Lyn's tails had disappeared into Kin's cloths.

Lyn leaned up and whispered into Kin's ear, causing the girl to blush scarlet and nod slightly. Lyn pulled her tails from Kurenai's cloths before standing up. "We'll be back." Lyn said before her and Kin leaped to the roof and vanished.

Kurenai and Raid stared after them for a few minutes. "I wonder where they're going?" Raid asked. Kurenai blushed as she remembered what Lyn had told her in the woods.

"I know what they're going to do." Kurenai said softly. "I'm not gonna tell you but you're in for a surprise when they get back." She finished before claiming Raid's lips once more.

One hour later

Raid and Kurenai were still in the courtyard, only Raid was leaned against the wall with Kurenai in his lap. The two were gazing at the stars while Raid absently ran his hands over Kurenai's body. Lyn and Kin landed on either side of him, both looking very satisfied.

'_There's something different about Kin-chan, I just can't quite… HOLY MIKE! SHE'S GOT A TAIL!' _Raid thought as Kin wrapped her new appendage around Raid's wrist and pulled his hand to her now bigger chest.

"Your turn." Lyn said as she wrapped her tails around Kurenai and pulled her out of Raid's lap. Kurenai and Lyn vanished over the roof while Kin took Kurenai's previous seat in Raid's lap.

"How do you like my new look?" Kin asked as she half turned towards Raid and leaned her head on his shoulder.

Raid looked closely at her new ears and tail, both of which were midnight black. "It suits you." Raid said as he caressed her breast with his still bound hand. "I'm just a bit curious about how the change came about."

"Whenever a mortal exchanges intimate bodily fluids with a demon or demon-containers, they become hanyou. As a hanyou, my chakra had become more potent, my senses are sharper, and my reactions are quicker. All around, I'm a better being then I was as a human. On an interesting side note, all hanyou created by a full demon are immortal until the demon that created them dies." Kin explained before letting out a lusty moan as Raid gently squeezed her breast. "I'm also a lot more sensitive then I was before." She gasped out as Raid kept up his ministrations.

"I think I'm going to like this." Raid said mischievously before mashing his lips against Kin's.

Kin, through great mental effort, pulled away from Raid momentarily. "One more thing; you won't change from mating with me or Kurenai-chan after Lyn-chan is done with her. Lyn-chan will change you when she returns from the trip." Kin got out before giving in to her urges and surrendering to Raid's lips.

Kurenai and Lyn returned an hour later, Kurenai sporting black ears with red tips and a matching tail. They joined the two already on the ground and simply gazed at the stars for the rest of the night.

The next morning

Jiraiya met his two students at the north gate out of Konoha at dawn. He was almost floored by Kurenai and Kin's new look. He immediately whipped out a notebook and started scribbling furiously, only to have it disappear.

"You may use my mates and I in your books on a few conditions." Raid said, holding his notebook hostage.

"And they would be?" Jiraiya asked, practically drooling at the proverbial fountain of new material that would become available.

"One: you may only peek on us when we give you express permission to do so. Two: you are to give us one copy of each of your books when they come out, free of charge. Three, and most important: you may not use our real names or villages." Raid said, counting out the conditions on his fingers. "If you violate any of these conditions, we will make the beating Tsunade-sama gave you when she caught you peeking feel like a series of love taps." Raid said his eyes narrowing. "Got it?"

"H…hai." Jiraiya stuttered, intimidated by the amount of killing intent coming off the four in front of him.

"Alright, Ero-sennin, let's go." Naruto said as she took the first several steps of their next journey.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm coming." Jiraiya said as he followed Jade, Lyn, and Naruto down the path.

Saxyguy – And that's a wrap! Next chapter will come out sometime soon!

Leo – With your writing history, no one should believe you.

Saxyguy – I'm trustworthy!

Leo – Beats Saxyguy with a sheathed Katana. Don't argue with me! You know I'm right!

Saxyguy – Flees from an enraged Leo

Leo – Pegs Saxyguy in the back of the head with a can off Mountain Dew.

Kin – Steps over Saxyguy's motionless body. Please Review! Wags tail as she walks off.


	15. Chapter 14

Saxyguy – I am sad to say that I have run out of funny things to put in these authors notes. As such I will simply begin the story straight away and hopefully think up something for the authors note at the end.

By the way: _**I DON'T OWN DRAGONFORCE'S THROUGH THE FIRE AND FLAMES OR OPERATION GROUND AND POUND **_although I wish I did.

**Chapter 14**

Three years later

Two people walked down the road to Konoha's north gate. One was an elderly man with long white hair. Next to him walked a young woman appearing to be 18. She had her silver hair done up in a tight braid high on the back of her head. She was wearing black boots and white knee length leggings and a black miniskirt over that. She was also wearing a baby blue halter top under a long sleeve mesh shirt and fingerless gloves. Her forehead protector hung lazily around her neck, marking her as a Konoha shinobi. The strange part was the fact that she had two small women riding on her shoulders. One had flaming red hair that reached her hips. Fox ears poked out of her hair and nine fox tails swayed behind her lazily. She wore a deep blue battle kimono, the sleeves of which covered her hands. The other had long blonde hair with matching fox ears and two tails swaying behind her. She wore an identical battle kimono, only hers was blue with white and red highlights. As they came into sight of the gate, a huge pillar of flames shot up from the center of the village, illuminating the night for miles and causing all of them to recoil in horror before taking off at a sprint to check on their home.

Village Square

Kakashi panted slightly from the effort of creating the pillar of fire. _'I should've expected this when they hired me…' _he thought with a groan. He was currently crouched in front of a stage. Behind him stood the band, connecting amps and running last minute checks on their equipment. The lead singer/guitarist stepped up to the mike.

"HELLO KONOHA!" Raid shouted, causing all the women in the audience to swoon. The reason was plain to see. Raid was wearing a pair of ripped jeans and an open black shirt. Behind him, Sasuke ran through a riff on his guitar while Gaara hit a power chord on the bass before creating a suna bushin to man the keyboard. Kiba smirked as he slammed through a quick beat on the drum set. They were all dressed roughly the same as Raid was. Raid shook his waist length silver hair and bowed his head.

Kiba smashed his sticks down on the drums, Gaara picking in time with him as Sasuke began to pick his guitar at an amazing rate. After a few seconds, Raid snapped his head up and joined in with Sasuke, their tempo taking off. Raid continued playing as he created a Kage bushin and it started to sing.

On a cold winter morning  
In the time before the light  
In flames of death's eternal reign  
We ride towards the fight

When the darkness has fallen down  
And the times are tough alright  


The sound of evil laughter falls  
Around the world tonight

Fighting hard, fighting on for the steel  
Through the wastelands evermore  
The scattered souls will feel the hell  
Bodies wasted on the shores

On the blackest waves in hell's domain  
We watch them as they go  
Through fire and pain and once again we know!

So now we fly ever free  
We're free before the thunderstorm  
On towards the wilderness  
Our quest carries on

Far beyond the sundown  
Far beyond the moonlight  
Deep inside our hearts and all our souls!

So far away we wait for the day  
For the light source so wasted and gone  
We feel the pain of a lifetime lost in a thousand days  
Through the fire and the flames we carry on!

Raid and Sasuke broke into a duet. Short though it was, you could feel their intensity through their music.

As the red day is dawning  
And the lightning cracks the sky  
They'll raise their hands to the heavens above  
With resentment in their eyes

Running back through the midmorning light  
There's a burning in my heart  
We're banished from the time in a foreign land  
To a life beyond the stars

In your darkest dreams see to believe  
Our destiny is time  
And endlessly we'll all be free tonight!

And on the wings of a dream  
So far beyond reality  
All alone in desperation  
Now the time has gone

Lost inside you'll never find  
Lost within my own mind  
Day after day this misery must go on!

So far away we wait for the day  
For the light source so wasted and gone  
We feel the pain of a lifetime lost in a thousand days  
Through the fire and the flames we carry on!

Sasuke led into the duet this time. The two guitarists battled back and forth, their competitive nature lending itself perfectly to the long instrumental. They were really into it, focused on the tools in their hands to the exclusion of all else. Toward the end, both guitarists dropped to their knees and shredded out the final notes.

Now here we stand with their blood on our hands  
We fought so hard, now can we understand  
I'll break the seal of this curse if I possibly can  
For freedom of every man!

So far away we wait for the day  
For the light source so wasted and gone  
We feel the pain of a lifetime lost in a thousand days  
Through the fire and the flames we carry on!

Sasuke and Raid broke away into one final duel, both slamming the final note at the same time before Kakashi ran electrical chakra through the lights, shorting them out and plunging the stage into darkness.

Lyn, Jade, and Naruto stood with their mouths agape as the women of Konoha screamed for an encore. Suddenly, the entire audience was thrown into a genjutsu. They saw the band standing on a floating crag of rocks as strange objects flew above them.

Raid led the song in this time, starting out slow. The keyboard and drums joined in at the same time. Shortly after that, the bass joined in. after a few seconds, Sasuke started to play and the tempo took off again. Raid's bushin stepped up to the mike and began to sing once more.

Smashing through the boundaries  
Storming through the burning fields  
Stand before the Evil One, on towards the morning sun  
Falling under skies of pain

Soldiers searching endlessly  
Crashing over seven seas  
Torture in the winter skies, riding over plains of ice  
Shadows in the fields of the slain

Crashing steel and raging fury  
Smash the world, destroy the army  
Crush the legions of the twilight  


Shadows in the fields of the slain

Cry far away, as we reach for the day  
Passing our way through the punishment and the pain  
Reach for the world, as the sky begins to fall  
Rising through the darkened ashes praying that I'll see you all

Far away, will our eyes now see the day  
For today, the everlasting eternal sun  
Washed away the dreams of a brighter day  
Forever hold the dream inside  
The chance to fight another fight  
The breaking hearts that stand for all our lives  
Live tonight

Woh-oh-oh-oh!  
Woh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!

Raid and Sasuke split into a short duel, battling back and forth once more.

Watch you die, I watch you die inside  
While fear controls your life  
Then reject this animosity  
That kills so many minds  
We feel the power deep within  
The fear you hold inside  
Just to find the reason for the treason  
Now you will be mine

Screams of pain and death descending  
Rise again from hell defending  
Burn their hearts within the fire  
Now warriors of light will be slain

Rise through the pain, like the sun will rise again  
Day after day but the memories never change  
Stand before the storm, as the last horizon falls  
Blinded by the vision and the innocence of our souls

Far away, will our eyes now see the day  
For today, the everlasting eternal sun  
Washed away the dreams of a brighter day  
Forever hold the dream inside  
The chance to fight another fight  
The breaking hearts that stand for all our lives  
Live tonight

Woh-oh-oh-oh!  


Woh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!

Raid led the way into the duet this time. The genjutsu shifted to show Sasuke and Raid standing on opposite pillars of rock, staring each other down as the took turns showing off their dexterity while trying to put the other to shame. They went back and forth for a few minutes, whoever wasn't playing at the time took the chance to haze the other. Raid won, though barely.

Woh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!  
Woh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!  
Woh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!  
Woh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!

The scene shifted once more to show the entire band.

Far away, will our eyes now see the day  
For today the everlasting eternal sun  
Far away, will our eyes now see the day  
For today the everlasting eternal sun  
Washed away the dreams of a brighter day  
Forever hold the dream inside  
The chance to fight another fight  
The breaking hearts that stand for all our lives  
Live tonight

Woh-oh-oh-oh!  
Woh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!

When they hit the last note, Kakashi dropped the genjutsu, leaving everyone shocked at the raw intensity the band had given off during their performance. Once everyone recovered, they began to cheer wildly for the teens on the stage. The extra bushins were dispelled and the band stepped forward to take a bow.

"THANK YOU!"Raid shouted above the din before all four left by way of shushin. Naruto and Lyn were forced to cling to Jade's shirt for dear life as she vanished from pure speed, determined to chase down her brother.

One thought was running through Lyn's mind as she clung to Jade. _'Damn he got HOT while I was gone!'_

Uchiha compound

Sasuke, Kiba, Gaara, Kin, Kurenai, and Raid sat on the roof of the Uchiha main house watching the moon. They had changed after the concert. Sasuke wore a loose white open front shirt cinched at his waist by a scarlet sash tied at his right hip, a pair of deep blue baggy pants and a matching set of cloth gauntlets. Gaara was wearing a trench coat the color of dried blood. Over the coat, he wore a black vest over one shoulder. He wore basic black shinobi pants and sandals. Next to them lay Kiba, resting his head on his massive partner Akamaru. He wore a leather black jacket and pants with ninja sandals. Kin sat a few feet to his left, leaned against Raid's right side while her tail played with Kurenai's. Her clothing hadn't changed much, but she wore green and black cameo instead of purple and black. Kurenai sat on Raid's 

other side, one tail wrapped around Raid's waist as the other toyed with Kin's. Her normally messy hair had been pulled up into a ponytail and somewhat tamed. Her dress hadn't changed much either, other then the fact that it was slightly longer. In between her and Kin sat Raid, who had a jug of sake in his lap. He had his waist length silver hair pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. He wore a long sleeved mesh shirt and an open black short sleeved one with a hood over that. He also wore black baggy pants cinched at his waist with a white sash, on the sash hung two jugs of sake.

Jade walked into the compound looking for the friends they had left so long ago. Looking up to the roof, she spotted them and smiled before vanishing. She appeared before the group on the roof, shocking several of them senseless.

"YOU'RE BACK!" Kiba shouted, giving Lyn and Naruto just enough warning to dive from Jade's shoulders before he tackled her, sending them both tumbling from the roof. Gaara followed at a more sedate pace while Naruto and Lyn both stood and dusted themselves off.

"Naru-chan I sincerely hope this isn't one of your pranks, but why are you only six inches tall?" Sasuke asked while Raid wondered the same thing.

"That's a side effect of what we had to do to pull Lyn-chan from the seal. We needed to compact her demonic chakra so a normal human could wrap their chakra around all of it, and the seal forced her out on its own. It really helped when Jade figured out that it would do that." She explained as she climbed into Sasuke's lap.

"I like you this big." Lyn said as she stood on one of the sake jugs attached to Raid's sash to press herself to Raid's stomach. "Kinda like my own big snuggly." She finished with a grin. By this time, Jade, Kiba, and Gaara had rejoined them. "And why are you carrying sake? Not that I mind." She asked, causing Sasuke, Kiba, and Gaara to laugh while Kurenai and Kin paled.

"I am now on of two people currently in this village to have mastered the drunken fist." Raid said as he picked up the jug in front of him and took a swig. "I learned it from Lee-kun after he beat me senseless using it."

"Wait, somebody actually BEAT you?" Lyn asked.

"Hey, I'm not all powerful. If you want that, talk to Anee-chan." Raid said, causing Jade to blush.

"I'm not quite there yet Aniki. Anyway, how did Lee-kun of all people beat you?" Jade asked.

"Well it all started after one particularly difficult mission we had to do together. He ended up breaking his arm in a fight towards the end. I set the bone for him and we finished the mission anyway, but it was interesting. Afterword, he asked for a spar. I told him to wait until he was out of his cast, and he actually listened to me. The day he got his cast removed, Tsunade-sama gave him a bottle of medicine to take for pain relief. Unfortunately, it looked exactly like the bottle of sake Tsunade-sama had brought in with her and Lee-kun took the wrong one. We were in the middle of our spar and he asked for a break to take his medicine, and we took it. That's when things went downhill for me…" Raid began.

Flashback

Raid stood across from Lee, who downed the entire bottle of medicine in one go. Dropping the bottle in the grass next to him, Lee shook his head. "YOSH! I feel much better!" Lee shouted as a drunken blush appeared on his cheeks and his eyes feel half closed. As Raid watched on in horror, Lee started to stagger drunkenly, swaying back and forth as he slowly stumbled toward Raid to continue their spar.

'_Shit! If he's drunk I'm seriously in trouble! Last time it took Gai-sensei and Neji-san to restrain him, and he knocked Gai-sensei out once in the process!' _Raid thought as Lee suddenly stopped and looked at him.

"Who're you?!" he shouted drunkenly. "I don like the way you lookin at me! I'm gonna smash you face in!" Lee shouted as he charged at Raid.

Raid set himself to block Lee's charge only to have Lee trip right in front of him and pitch into a roll, coming up in a crouch with his shoulders rested on Raid's right thigh. Lee looked up at Raid as he sent a fist speeding for Lee's unprotected head.

'_My only chance is to end this now with a knockout!' _He thought.

Lee snapped his left hand up and blocked the punch, making it look as though he was drinking from a sake cup at the same time. Lee smashed his right hand into Raid's stomach, causing him to wheeze and lower his guard. Suddenly, Lee's legs snapped straight, sending his head into Raid's stomach and hurling him away.

Raid slowly stood, clutching at his stomach with his left hand. _'I've been hit by Lee-kun before, but never like that. That HURT!' _He thought as he activated his Sharingan. Raid charged at Lee and used his own signature move against him. "Konoha Senpuu!" Raid shouted as he swept his foot through the air at Lee's head. Lee swayed back, causing Raid's foot to swish by harmlessly. As he fell to the ground to continue the move, Lee fell to his back and jerked his feet up above him, doing a handstand and avoiding the second kick. Raid swiftly regained his feet only to have Lee slam a foot into his chest. As he staggered back, Lee walked forward on his hands and kicked him again and again, driving him back. On the last kick, he snapped his other foot up into Raid's jaw at the same time, sending him tumbling back. Raid stood slowly and looked at Lee to see him balanced precariously on his right leg with his left held up in front of him. His right arm arced over his head toward Raid and his left arced down near his leg, also pointing at Raid. _'Not even my Sharingan can predict him! This is insane! I can't leave him to get help either, or he'll go on a rampage!'_

All of a sudden, Lee fell onto his back and began to snore. Raid cautiously approached Lee. _'Please really be asleep…' _Raid thought as he kept his guard up. When he was standing over Lee, he twitched, causing Raid to leap back, fearing another attack, only to have Lee roll over in his sleep. Raid sighed and lowered his guard for a moment. That was all that Lee needed.

We was up in an instant and Raid barely got his arms up in front of his face to block the powerful kick. He slid several feet back before he charged back in. Lee's drunken staggering lent itself perfectly to avoiding all of Raid's strikes, leaving the silver-haired Uchiha frustrated. Loosing focus for a moment, Raid threw a straight punch a Lee's head. Lee bent over backwards to avoid it and grabbed Raid's sleeve. He fell to his back and snapped his right foot into Raid's chest, throwing him over his head and into a tree.

Flashback end

"…And that's how it happened. I woke up to find out that Gai-sensei had thankfully been looking for Lee-kun and arrived right as I hit the tree. After that, I began to spar with him after we drank together. Eventually, I picked up the style. Unlike Lee-kun I can actually control who I attack, but aside from that, most of how I fight is instinctual." Raid said as he took another pull from the jug in his hand.

"Do you always fight drunk?" Lyn asked.

"Nope. Only against Lee-kun and anyone else I have trouble beating by conventional means. The unpredictability of the style allows me to surprise and take down most people I start fighting sober." Raid said. "I still prefer my swords, but seeing Lee and I go at it drunk is rather entertaining, so I've been told." Raid said with a chuckle.

"That's I sight I'm gonna have to see sometime soon. I could use a good laugh." Naruto said from her place in Sasuke's lap.

"Just be sure to stay a good distance away. The two of them can get a bit destructive, which is why Gai-sensei and Kakashi-sensei are always present whenever they want to spar. Otherwise we'd never be able to control the two of them together." Sasuke said. "I shudder to think what they would be like if they ever teamed up on someone."

"OH! We should trick Ero-sennin into trying it. He'd live!" Naruto said. "Besides, I'm sure he's done something that deserves a good beating!"

"Maybe tomorrow. What I want to hear about is how your training went and why Naru-chan is a kitsune." Raid asked.

Saxyguy – Woot! Another chapter down! I know all you people loved the fight between Lee and Raid. And yes, in the next two chapters I will have Lee and Raid team up on Jiraiya with drunken boxing, cuz that would be funny as shit to write.

Leo – You are a horrible person, you know that?

Saxyguy – Yep. smiles

Leo – That wasn't a compliment! pelts Saxyguy with random small objects within arms reach of her desk.

Saxyguy – Ow! HEY! Stop that!

Leo – Hurls a large paperweight, knocking Saxyguy out once more. Now Review or you're next!


	16. Chapter 15

Saxyguy – Hello all of my loyal fans! Crickets chirp, causing Saxyguy to sweat drop.Heh, heh. Anywho, I have a new chappie for you all. This will probably be the last chapter on this story until after I get out of boot camp.

Leo – Cuz you're lazy.

Saxyguy – I am not!

Leo – Totally ignoring Saxyguy. We don't own Naruto. The only things we own are Jade and Raid, as well as a few of the original story ideas we invented.

**Chapter 15**

"Okay. Training wasn't too difficult. The first couple of months just focused mainly on improving our shinobi skills and learning the occasional jutsu. Then we arrived in the wave country…" Jade said.

Flashback

((A/N: Jade and Naruto are in their new outfits already. If you forgot the description, reread the last chapter.))

Jiraiya, Jade, and Naruto all walked through the small village that acted as the capital for the small country. Suddenly, Naruto and Jade both stiffened in shock. Jade slowly looked over her shoulder to see a child dressed in rags rummaging through her equipment pouch. Jade turned around and pulled out some candy before handing it to the kid. They smiled before running off.

Naruto on the other hand, beat the hobo that tried to paw her rear.

"I have a friend that you two can stay with for a few days while I check around for information on what Oro-teme plans to do."

The two young women nodded."So what is his name?"

"Tazuna-san. He works mostly large construction projects. Right now, he's working on a bridge to connect wave country to the mainland." Jiraiya said. "The only problem is that wave country is controlled by Gatou, who controls all the shipping industry. Tazuna's bridge is a threat to Gatou's business. I want you two to keep an eye on Tazuna while you're here." Jiraiya explained as they walked.

"Alright, how hard could it be?" Jade asked as they passed out of the town and into the woods.

"Gatou is the richest man in the elemental countries. As such, he has a habit of hiring missing nin to do his dirty work." Jiraiya replied as they approached a large house in a clearing by a small lake. Jiraiya walked up to the door and knocked. They waited for a few seconds before a young woman answered the door.

"Jiraiya-sama! Are you here to help us?" The woman exclaimed.

"Unfortunately, I cannot assist you personally Tsunami-san, but I will be leaving my two apprentices here. They will be more then enough to handle any missing nin Gatou would hire to try anything." Jiraiya responded.

"Thank you Jiraiya-sama." Tsunami said, waving the three into the house. "Would you like tea?"

"Hai." Jade and Naruto replied.

"Sake, if the old man has any laying about." Jiraiya requested.

"Hai." Tsunami replied before she hurried off to prepare drinks for their guests. She came back with a tray and two pitchers, as well as several cups. "Tousan will be here later, right now he is working on the bridge. Inari-kun is at school." Tsunami said as she set the cups out and poured tea for the two younger nin while Jiraiya poured himself a saucer of sake.

Jiraiya sipped his sake slowly for once. "I'll stick around to talk to Tazuna-san but after that I gotta go."

Several hours later, Tazuna walked in from working at the bridge. After talking to Jiraiya about the situation in Wave country, Jiraiya left to check on his spy network, leaving Jade and Naruto to take care of things in Wave.

Several days later

Jade was training on the lake near Tazuna's house. She had two battle fans out and was running through kata's when Naruto ran up to her.

"Jade-chan, come quick! The bridge is under attack and Naru-chan needs your help!" The clone yelled before disappearing with a pop.

The bridge

Naruto stood staring at the two nin in front of her. One appeared to be a Kiri Anbu, and was obviously female despite her attempts to hide it, while the other was much more noticeable. He wore baggy black pants, a black sleeveless shirt, and shinobi sandals. His face was wrapped in bandages, obscuring his nose and mouth. His hitai-ate was wrapped around his head so that the metal plate rested above his right ear. On his back, he carried a huge sword. The strange part about him was that he had no eyebrows.

'_What is it with the ninja community and eyebrows? Fuzzy-brows and his sensei have too much, and now I see where their extra came from…' _Naruto thought, causing Lyn to burst into uncontrolled laughter. _'On a side note, how about some help here Lyn?'_

'_**You won't need it. Jade is almost here.' **_Lyn said as she wiped the tears from her eyes from laughing so hard. Just as Lyn finished talking, Jade appeared in a puff of smoke.

"One of your clones was freaking out, said I had to get here really quick. So far I'm unimpressed. Why couldn't you handle this on your own?" Jade asked.

"I could, but you'd be mad at me for hogging all the fun." Naruto pointed out as she slipped both hands into the opposite sleeves and came away with two handfuls of kunai.

"That is true…" Jade mused as she drew her battle fans from her belt and flicked them open.

The male nin laughed. "What do you plan on doing with those? Gonna fan the air?" He asked with a sneer.

"Oh he's mine." Jade said to Naruto before turning to the foolish man. "What's your name? I want to know who I'm about to really embarrass."

"Momichi Zabuza, formerly of the seven swordsmen of the mist." Zabuza said as he drew his sword. The sword was a huge chunk of metal, nearly as long as he was tall. It had a circle cut out of it near the tip and a half circle cut out of the blade near the base. The handle was nearly two feet long, and he swung the entire contraption with one arm as if it weighed nothing.

"I am Miyuki Jade of Konohagakure. You will lose to me just as surely as my bother would destroy you in kenjutsu." Jade said. _'Note to self: don't get hit by him, his strength is amazing to swing that thing around that fast.' _Jade thought.

"Ha! When you're famous enough to be in the bingo book I carry, then you'll have a chance with your boasts." Zabuza said arrogantly.

"Remember my name then, you'll be adding it to that book soon, and you might as well add, Uchiha Raid to it as well." Jade said in a bored tone.

"Haku-chan, you take the other one, I want this arrogant kid to myself." Zabuza said, indicating Naruto.

"Hai." Haku replied as she pulled a senbon from her sleeve. Naruto threw her kunai at Haku, who deflected them with the senbon in her hand before shooting forward. Naruto and Haku clashed in the center of the bridge, senbon against kunai. They both attacked and defended in a blur of movement, searching for a hole in their opponent's defense. They both leaped apart and threw more weapons at each other. The flying objects deflected off each other before falling to the ground with a clatter. They stared at each other for a moment before a dragon made of water shot passed in between them.

Jade smirked as she easily dodged another water dragon. "Wow. For one of the seven swordsmen, you suck." Jade mocked as she hopped back away from Zabuza, dodging his sword strike.

"Fight back damn it!" Zabuza growled.

"Oh? Finally done showing off?" Jade asked as she snapped both fans closed and blocked another of Zabuza's attacks. "I just have one question for you; why are you here? A famous nin like yourself should be earning lots of money for his village, not struggling to survive by taking hits from a petty crime boss."

Zabuza grinned as he struck out at Jade again, only to have her dance away once more. "Alright, I'll tell you. I tried to assassinate the Mizukage in an attempt to bring about change for Kirigakure. I failed and was forced to flee the village." Zabuza explained as he hopped back and formed some hand signs.

"Why would you try that?" Jade asked as she jumped over another water dragon. While she was in midair, Zabuza fired another one at her, which she deflected with her fans.

"Do you know what the genin test in Kiri was?" Zabuza asked, pausing momentarily as a look of disgust took over his visible features. "In order to become genin, you had to fight a one on one death match with another academy student. They made me kill my best friend…" Zabuza said as he clenched a fist. "I swore that day that I would become Mizukage and change the way things were done, but I wasn't prepared during my first attempt."

"We don't have to do this. I'm being trained by Jiraiya no Sannin. If you become part of his spy network, he can protect you and Haku-chan, not to mention get you removed from the bingo book." Jade said.

"I will accept your offer on one condition. Beat me." Zabuza said as he drew his sword. "One thing I learned from Kiri was that people only listen to the strong, so if you can beat me, then I'll believe that you have enough influence to do as you say."

"I accept your challenge. Naru-chan, back off." Jade said, prompting Naruto to jump back and slip her hands into the opposite sleeves, taking a relaxed pose.

"Haku-chan, stand down." Zabuza said. Haku vanished in a swirl of water and reappeared crouched on the railing of the bridge.

The two nin glared at each other for a few moments before Zabuza launched himself forward and brought his sword across in a backhand slash. He stared blankly at the space where Jade's legs should have been standing.

"Is that the best you can do?" Jade mocked, causing Zabuza to look back over his shoulder to see Jade perched on the end of his sword. "And here I thought the Oni of Kiri would be a challenge."

"Damn you woman!" Zabuza growled as he threw Jade from his sword.

Jade flipped gracefully before landing in a crouch. "Temper, temper." She taunted as she rose and flicked her fans open once more. "Try to make this a little fun, will you?"

Zabuza growled as he fired another water dragon at the elusive kunoichi.

Jade chuckled as she danced out of the way. _'He's too angry to think straight. This will be over soon…' _Jade thought as she continued to dodge Zabuza's jutsu.

Suddenly, Zabuza appeared in the wake of one of the dragons and chopped down at Jade's head.

Jade snapped both fans closed and crossed them over her head, catching the blow.

"Not bad little girl." Zabuza said with a sneer.

Jade paused for a moment. "You did not just say that." She growled.

"And if I did?" Zabuza shot back, accenting his words with a brutal horizontal slash.

"Then I'll have to beat you senseless." Jade replied as she twisted out of his sword's path. She jumped back several yards and threw both fans at Zabuza.

"Not good enough!" Zabuza shouted as he batted both projectiles wide to his right.

Jade spun to her left and both fans followed, making a complete circuit before heading back at Zabuza.

'_How did she do that?'_ Zabuza wondered as she blocked the leading fan and ducked the second.

Without slowing, Jade altered the path of her right fan from a horizontal circle to a diagonal slash, nicking Zabuza's left bicep and right thigh as he scrambled back. With a flick of her wrists, both fans returned to her hands.

"How did you do that?" Zabuza asked, shocked.

"A smart shinobi doesn't reveal all of their secrets." Jade replied as she threw both fans at Zabuza once more. Zabuza dodged to the side and Jade twirled the fans bringing them down at Zabuza's head.

Zabuza side-stepped out of the way, barely avoiding the strike.

At the last instant, Jade charged earth chakra down the wires tied to her wrists, filling her fans right before they hit the bridge. When the fans hit, spikes of earth and stone erupted from the concrete.

Zabuza managed to block the two spikes that would have killed him, but in doing so, took one to the right shoulder as another dug into his left thigh.

"I win Zabuza-san. Admit defeat and you'll live. I'm sure we could even get you accepted into Konoha."

"You win, but I cant go to Konoha; not yet anyway. I need to atone for some things first." Zabuza said as he pulled himself off the spikes before collapsing. "Would you…"

"NO! Haku shouted as she appeared at his side. "I will follow any order you give except that one Zabuza-sama! I will not leave you!"

"Now isn't that cute." A voice spoke from the other side of the bridge.

Everyone looked over to see Gatou standing backed by several hundred thugs. "Four tired and weak shinobi won't even be a challenge for my army. Prepare to die!"

"Haku-chan, I want you to escape. Live your life the way you want to." Zabuza said as he struggled to his feet, only to slump to the ground in shock when Naruto spoke up in a bored tone.

"Is this it? I could take you all blindfolded and handcuffed." Naruto said before her face split into a huge grin. "But I'm not, so now you're really screwed." She finished as she pulled her hands from her sleeves and slipped into her taijutsu stance. Her right shoulder was forward, presenting a smaller target and all her weight was balanced lightly on the balls of her feet. She held her right arm up at shoulder level, palm toward her opponent while she held her left hand across her body, hovering near her right shoulder.

Both sides stared at each other, waiting for the first move.

Jade stood near Zabuza and Haku, her arms crossed and a blank expression on her face when someone hurled a spear at her hoping to catch her off guard. Jade's right foot snapped up, sending the missile spinning straight up. She launched herself from her left leg and spun once before she brought her left leg around and kicked the spear once more, sending it speeding towards Gatou.

The cowardly merchant pulled the man next to him in front of the projectile just in time for the spear to pin the two men together.

"I was going to leave you to Naru-chan, but now you've irritated me." Jade said before simply vanishing.

Naruto smirked. "You're fucked." She said before vanishing as well.

The fight, if you could call it that, was very bloody; and short. After a few minutes, Jade and Naruto reappeared near Gatou's corpse. Naruto held twin bloodstained kama in her hands while Jade held a standard kunai.

Jade dropped the kunai and began a long series of hand seals before she spat a huge volume of water straight down, washing all the bodies into the water.

Flashback no Jutsu: Kai!

"So that's what really happened… all we heard were wild rumors." Kiba remarked.

"What happened to Zabuza-san?" Raid asked.

"He said he wanted to track down some rurouni to bring with him. That and he wanted to help end the civil war in Kiri, he feels responsible for it." Jade replied.

"Did he give you a name on the rurouni?" Raid asked.

"Himura Batto-something." Naruto answered.

"Himura Battosai?" Raid asked.

"Yeah I think so." Lyn replied.

"I've always wanted to meet him…" Raid said softly. "Did Zabuza-san give any clue when he would be here?"

"Nope." Jade replied. "Although he did mention that he might need our help with ending Kiri's war.

"I hope he finds Himura-dono…" Raid said as he flopped back on the roof.

Lyn crawled up Raid's chest. "Don't you want to know how Naruto became a kitsune?" Lyn asked as she sat down in the middle of Raid's chest.

"I'd like to hear this one." Sasuke said as Naruto climbed up onto his shoulder.

"Well it was rather simple really." Jade began. "The most difficult part was figuring out how to shrink Naru-chan to an appropriate size, but Ero-sennin and I came up with several temporary seals that worked. After that, it was a simple matter of surrounding all of Lyn's chakra with mine. Unfortunately, I missed about a tail. Without Lyn-chan to control it, the demonic chakra burned through Naru-chan's chakra coils. At first we were afraid it would kill her, but when the tail sprouted, we knew what was happening." Jade explained.

"How long will the temporary seals last?" Sasuke asked.

"A few more days at least." Lyn replied.

"What do you mean 'at least'?" Raid asked.

"The seals we used were highly experimental." Jade explained. "So we're not not exactly how long they'll last."

"Ah." Sasuke replied.

"Oh!" Raid exclaimed, suddenly remembering something. "Sasuke-kun and I finished our invention!" Raid asked as he whipped a small device out of his pocket. Before anyone could react, he pointed the device at Kurenai and pressed the button on top of it.

Kurenai let out a small 'eep' as her clothing shifted slightly before settling back into place.

Everyone looked over to see Kurenai's matching black lace bra and panties laying in Kin's lap.

"Raid-kun…" Kurenai cooed as she leaned over his prone form threateningly, causing Lyn to scamper to Kin's lap. "What did I tell you I would do if you ever used that on me again?"

"Ravish me mercilessly regardless of who was watching?" Raid asked hopefully.

"That's correct." Kurenai growled before pouncing on Raid, her two tails wagging playfully.

Jade made a gagging noise in the back of her throat before turning to Gaara and Kiba. She watched as Kiba put the finishing touches on the blunt he had been rolling. "So what else has been going on in Konoha?" Jade asked as Kiba handed the blunt to Gaara.

"Itachi-san's name was cleared when Tsunade-sama read the scroll you and Naru-chan left." Gaara replied as he looked over Kiba's work with a critical eye. "You've gotten better." He commented as he handed the blunt back to Kiba.

"What was in that letter anyway?" Jade asked. "I never got to read it."

Gaara smiled as Kiba sparked his blunt. "I'll let Sasuke-kun explain this one."

"The letter was a true account of the clan's massacre. The man who did it was named Pein. When Anbu saw Itachi-nii run, his Sharingan was activated out of a thirst for revenge. When Itachi-nii caught up to Pein-teme, he was defeated. Pein placed a seal on Aniki that saps his free will to almost nothing. To date, it has been used on three others; Kisame-san of Kiri, Deidara-san of Iwa, and Sasori-san of Suna." Sasuke explained as Naruto sat on his shoulder and snuggled into his neck.

Everyone on the roof jumped as a huge explosion went off near the edge of the village.

Saxyguy – Well that's the chapter folks. Sorry about the long wait but I got stuck in boot camp for four months instead of the normal two. Leave a review and lemme know what you think.

Leo – Took you long enough. Why didn't you just mail me the chapter to type and post?

Saxyguy – Cuz you wouldn't have done it.

Leo – Beats Saxyguy with a Subway sandwich. You had that chapter done for nearly a month before you finally got around to typing it up!

Saxyguy – HEY! OUCH! I JUST GOT MY LAPTOP BACK! OW! TAKE IT EASY!

Leo – NO!!

Raid – Leave a review or Saxyguy may never get motivated enough to finish the next chapter.


	17. Chapter 16

Saxyguy – Hello all! I'm sorry for the huge delay in my writing on all of my stories but I'm currently working some ridiculous hours combined with working on nine different stories means my updates across the board suffer.

Leo – That's just because you're lazy. You still find time to play your video games.

Saxyguy – Yeah and I only sleep four hours a night. Cut me a little slack.

Leo – No.

Saxyguy – *Sighs* Anyway, I don't own Naruto so don't sue me. You'd have to deal with the government first anyway.

Chapter 16

Two men stood surveying the wreckage that used to be Konoha's main gate.

"Now THAT was art, un!" The taller blonde shouted excitedly as he pointed at the smoldering rubble.

"How many times do I have to go over this?" The hunched man next to him growled. "Art is timeless, ordered and perfection." The man finished, causing his partner to brush his long bangs back towards his ponytail and sigh. Seven figures appeared in front of the two.

"Sasori-san," The man began, causing the seven people in front of them to tense. "How many times must I tell you? True art is fleeting beauty that is gone in an instant. Pure art is found amidst endless chaos, un."

"Well Deidara-san, I suppose we'll have to agree that we'll never agree on art." Sasori replied.

"Why have you two attacked Konoha?" Raid asked as he gripped the hilts of the two wakizashi tucked into his sash at his left hip. Kurenai's left hand gripped the sheath of her katana as her right hovered over the hilt. Sasuke rested his hand on the hilt of the ninjato tucked into his sash at the small of his back. Kin chose to forgo the kusari-gama wrapped around her waist in favor of a double handful of senbon. Kiba activated his all fours technique as Akamaru growled menacingly next to him. Gaara popped the cork from his gourd, allowing his sand to slither to the ground with a hiss. Jade pulled her fans from her belt and flicked them open.

"Oh how threatening you all are, un." Deidara said mockingly.

"We have come for him." Sasori growled, nodding toward Gaara.

"You really think you can take all of us?" Kin asked. "It's just the two of you, we have the advantage."

"Little girl, did we ever say we were alone, un?" Deidara asked as two forms appeared from the woods behind them.

Both kunoichi wore the Akatsuki cloak. One had shoulder length purple hair and carried what appeared to be the hilt for a double bladed sword. The other had her long ginger hair pulled back into a braid that disappeared down the collar of her cloak and held no visible weapons.

Kin threw her double handful of senbon at the violet haired kunoichi, who activated her sword. Two glowing violet blades sprang out of either end of the hilt in her hands. She spun the sword in front of her, deflecting the senbon as she lunged forward in retaliation. She brought her sword up and started to bring it down at Kin's head when Kurenai appeared in between them, left hand gripping the sheath of her katana as she drew the blade with her right. She caught the kunoichi's strike on the end of her hilt before using the force to spin her sword into an underhanded forward slash.

Kurenai smirked as her opponent was forced to leap back to avoid injury. Kurenai's eyes widened in shock as a clay bird appeared right in front of her face only to have a suna shuriken snatch it away, causing the volatile missile to detonate harmlessly against a nearby tree.

Deidara looked over to see some of Gaara's sand speeding towards him and took to the air on the back of a large clay bird, followed by Gaara, who rode on a platform of sand.

Jade silently wished Gaara luck as she and Raid charged at Sasori. Raid struck first, drawing one of his wakizashi in his right hand as he slashed across Sasori's left arm. He drew his second blade in a reverse grip as he dashed by and struck with it, intending to sever Sasori's arm, only for his eyes to widen in shock as his second strike connected.

"Neechan, he's a puppet!" Raid shouted in warning as a tail shot out of the back of Sasori's cloak and speared toward Jade.

Jade planted her right foot, halting her charge before beginning a set of hand seals.

Sasori's tail struck her in the abdomen, lifting her off her feet and hurling her back.

Jade landed in a cloud of smoke and a tall silver haired man carrying a ridiculously long sword charged out of the smoke at Sasori.

Sasori ducked the man's horizontal slash before leaping back out of range, avoiding his follow-up diagonal backhand swing. Sasori slammed back first into a tree that wasn't there before. He didn't even have a chance to fall before vines shot out of the tree, binding him in place. Three sliver blurs crisscrossed in front of Sasori multiple times. Sasori jerked each time one of them passed as large rips appeared in his cloak. The three silver haired ninja came to a halt in front of Sasori, finding the man to be unharmed by their attacks.

"Sasuke-kun, you've got to help Gaara-kun." Kiba said, never taking his eyes off the one unoccupied enemy on the field.

Sasuke looked at Kiba in shock. "I don't have any jutsu accurate at that range. What do you expect me to do, sprout wings and fly?"

"Well it would certainly be helpful!" Kiba shot back before their ginger haired opponent launched herself forward. Kiba and Sasuke prepared for her attack only for her to explode into sakura pedals halfway to them. _'Genjutsu…?' _Kiba thought confused before his sharp hearing picked up several objects slicing through the air behind them. Sasuke and Kiba dove in opposite directions, avoiding the kunai hurled at them. The two had just regained their feet when the kunai exploded, hurling them farther apart.

Suddenly, a huge explosion went off over the village causing everyone to look up in shock and growing horror. Gaara's unconscious form fell earthward. Before he got far, Deidara swooped down and caught him. As if it were a signal, the other three Akatsuki vanished into the trees.

Jade took off after the fleeing Akatsuki, dispelling her summon as she went.

"Jade-chan, wait!" Kiba shouted, causing Jade to pause.

Jade looked back at Kiba, for once truly torn over what to do.

"You can't take them all on your own." Raid said as he appeared at Jade's side. "Gaara-kun is wearing a tracking device, so we will be able to find him. Just give us time to organize some help."

"Fine." Jade replied, clearly not happy with inaction.

Several hours later

Kakashi's team, plus Kurenai, Kiba, Neji, and Kin met at what used to be Konoha's main gate. They were about to leave when Jiraiya appeared and stopped them.

"Jade-chan, I found a way to counter the seal placed on Itachi-san and the others." He said as he hurried over.

"Show me." Jade replied as her eyes turned a dark violet. Jiraiya launched into a long string of hand seals as Jade watched carefully.

"What good will this do? She can't learn a jutsu in mere minutes." Neji whispered to Raid.

"Got me, but she does have some sort of doujutsu now because her eyes just changed color." Raid replied as Jiraiya finished the seals.

"Got it." Jade said as she blinked and her eyes returned to their normal green.

"Be careful with that jutsu. That many seals leaves you wide open to counter-attack. Only use it after you have immobilized your opponent." Jiraiya warned.

"Don't worry Ero-sennin." Jade said with a smirk. "I've got something no one will see coming."

The eight nin leaped off into the woods.

Elsewhere

Gaara awoke in a vast white expanse.

'_Where am I?' _He thought as he looked around, seeing nothing but empty space. Hearing a growl, Gaara spun around, coming face to face with a raccoon the size of a house.

"Shikaku." Gaara hissed.

"Now is not the time for hostilities." Shikaku spoke calmly. "You are dying, and I am being ripped from the seal."

"Is there a way to save my life?" Gaara asked.

"Really kinda selfish, aren't you?" Shikaku asked.

"Not really. Jade-chan would miss me." Gaara replied with a straight face.

Shikaku sighed. "There is a way to save both of us, but you might not like it."

"Why do you say that?" Gaara asked.

"To save you, I'll have to merge with you." Shikaku said. "The problem is that once I do, you'll become full tanuki." Shikaku finished.

Gaara paused for a moment as Shikaku's words sank in. "How long will the merging take?"

"About two days." Shikaku replied. "We'll be done long before Akatsuki comes close to completing their jutsu."

"Alright, do it." Gaara said.

"Fair warning, this is going to sting a bit." Shikaku said before he collapsed into a pile of sand and began to slither across the ground toward Gaara. The sand flowed around Gaara's feet.

Gaara screamed in pain as the sand suddenly blazed white hot. His scream cut off as the sand flowed up his body and around his head.

Forest

The eight nin leaped through the trees at high speed.

Jade's eyes suddenly unfocused before she gasped in shock and shot forward in a sudden burst of speed, leaving the rest behind.

"Jade-chan! Wait up!" Kiba shouted a she shot forward after her.

"Nee-chan, what's wrong?" Raid asked as he cleared the gap she had created in one leap.

"Something happened to Gaara-kun." Jade replied. "I don't know what, but we have to hurry." Jade finished as the rest of the group caught up. Jade felt something scratch her cheek, and without even thinking, snagged the offending object with some string. The kunai halted less then half an inch from the bridge of Neji's nose. Before the kunai could begin to drop, Jade slung her arm forward, hurling the kunai ahead of them. Slapping her hands together in the rat seal, Jade activated her jutsu, causing explosive tags to unfurl at intervals along the trailing string. The entire group halted as the tags went off, clearing a large section of forest.

Two cloaked forms landed in front of them, causing Jade to pale. "Oh shit. We're in trouble." She whispered.

"Wait, Jade-chan, didn't you and Naru-chan beat those two already?" Kiba asked confused.

"No. The two Naru-chan and I beat were clones of Itachi-san and Kisame-san with barely one percent of their total ability." Jade replied. "The two there are most definitely the real ones." Jade finished as Sasuke and Raid stepped to the front of the group.

"The rest of you go. Sasuke-kun and I will handle this." Raid said as he drew the sword from under his over shirt.

"I don't like this." Kakashi said.

"Kakashi-sensei, you know how much Sasuke-kun and I have improved in the past three years, you need to go with them to help retrieve Gaara-kun. I promise that as soon as we delay them long enough, Sasuke-kun and I will get away." Raid said as he tossed a lazy smile over his shoulder, the way his eyes crinkled up into upside down u's reminding everyone of the copy nin.

"Be careful Aniki." Jade said as the rest of the group dropped to the forest floor before dashing away.

Itachi moved to intercept them, only to have Raid appear in front of him and slash across with his blade, forcing Itachi to hop back and suck in his gut to avoid loosing his lunch, and stomach to go with it. Kisame found himself in a similar situation when Sasuke appeared in front of him with his Sharingan swirling.

"We are your opponents." Sasuke said as his pushed his cloth gauntlets up, bunching the cloth around his wrists, revealing two identical seal tattoo's on his forearms.

"Peirce the heavens and rend the moon. Zangetsu!" Raid shouted. His sword exploded in size, now nearly as long as Raid was tall. The blade was flat black, the edge shined white. The odd thing was that the sword had no hilt or guard, instead it only possessed a cloth wrapping around the tang.

Itachi's eyes widened as he heard the name of the legendary sword. "Where did you get that?"

"You don't need to worry about that." Raid replied as he slung the cleaver-like blade across his back and held it there with chakra. Raid crossed his middle and index fingers in an odd seal before shouting his jutsu. "Kage Bushin!" Five copies of Raid appeared before charging at Itachi, obscuring Raid from view for a moment.

Itachi quickly dispatched the clones before his keen hearing picked up the sound of birds chirping. Itachi looked up to see Raid standing upside down on a branch nearly twenty feet above him, both hands covered in lightning and his red and violet Sharingan spinning violently. "Who are you?" Itachi asked, the appearance of the Sharingan shocking him, especially the odd color.

Raid ignored the question as he dove down at Itachi, thrusting his left hand down. Itachi side-stepped Raid's attack, grabbing Zangetsu from the teens back as his first Raikiri sliced through the tree branch at Itachi's feet before winking out of existence. Raid twisted about in midair and threw his right hand out at Itachi. The Raikiri left his hand, bonded to the kunai he had thrown.

Itachi swatted the kunai away with Zangetsu, getting shocked slightly in the process.

Sasuke and Kisame watched Raid and Itachi fight for a moment before they turned back to each other.

"Shall we?" Kisame asked with a shark like grin.

Sasuke replied with a brace of kunai followed by a volley of shuriken arcing toward Kisame's flanks, trying to cut off the shark man's escape.

Kisame launched himself straight up. He set his feet against the underside of the branch above him before diving at Sasuke, pulling Samehada from his back as he flew.

Sasuke easily ducked Kisame's horizontal swipe and snapped his right foot up into Kisame's chin, launching the shark man straight up. Sasuke pulled out two kunai as he jumped after Kisame. He kicked Kisame in the back; then, using his planted foot, spun to the side and lashed out with his right foot once more. Kisame brought his arm up to block and Sasuke pushed off his block, spinning to his other side. Kisame brought Samehada in line to block Sasuke's two kunai strike and kicked the young Uchiha in the stomach, hurling him away.

Sasuke threw the two kunai in his hands at Kisame, who spun Samehada in front of him to block. Sasuke smirked as Samehada cut in front of Kisame's eyes. When the huge blade spun away, Sasuke was gone.

Kisame looked around for a few seconds before a dragon of flame roared out of the surrounding foliage, headed straight for Kisame's back. Kisame spun around and smashed the dragon aside with a backhanded slash from Samehada. He grinned as he continued to search the surrounding branches for Sasuke.

Elsewhere

The six nin stood in front of a large boulder with a small paper tag in the center of it.

"Neji-san, what's on the other side?" Jade asked.

"It is difficult to see, Jade-san." Neji replied after activating his Byakugan. "Gaara-san is in the center of the room. There are several people standing on what appears to be a statue and it looks like they're trying to suck chakra out of Gaara-san."

"They're trying to extract Shikaku!" Jade exclaimed. "Check the rock. How do we get around it?"

"We don't. We have to go through it." Neji replied. "The rock has a five pronged seal on it. The first is there." Neji said as he pointed to the paper tag stuck to the rock. "The second is in the forest 800 meters behind us. The third is in the middle of a field 950 meters that way." Neji continued as he pointed to their left. "The third is 1000 meters north, by a river, and the last is 1200 meters that way. It appears to be in a canyon." Neji finished, pointing to their right. "All the tags appear as if they need to be removed at the same time."

"Kin-chan and I are faster then the rest of you, so we'll take the two farthest." Kurenai said.

"I'll take the one in the forest." Kiba said.

"Then I'll head toward the one in the field." Neji finished. "That leaves Jade-san and Kakashi-sensei here to enter when we remove the seals."

Elsewhere

The woods around Kisame were unnaturally quiet except for the high speed 'clang' of metal on metal as Raid and Itachi exchanged shuriken and kunai. The roar of rushing flames caused Kisame to spin around moments before a massive fireball engulfed his body.

Sasuke cut the flow of fire chakra to his mouth, allowing the roaring fireball to dissipate. As the flames subsided, a charred log came into view.

'_Shit! Kawarimii!' _Sasuke thought as he threw himself into a front flip, barely clearing Kisame's strike. Sasuke's eyes widened when Samehada smashed into the tree trunk and stuck. Seeing an opening, Sasuke threw two shuriken at Kisame before planting his feet on the trunk of a nearby tree and drawing his sword as he launched himself at Kisame.

Kisame ripped Samehada free with a grunt and a shower of wood chips before swatting the two shuriken like flies, only to be struck by two more hidden in the blind spots of the first two. Kisame grinned as he sidestepped Sasuke, throwing an elbow into his ribs as he flew by.

"Not bad kid. You get first blood." Kisame said as he pulled the two shuriken from his left shoulder and tossed them away. He inspected his shoulder quickly. It stung, but it wouldn't slow him down much. "Just remember, it's last blood that really matters."

Suddenly, Raid hurtled by in between Kisame and Sasuke, pursued by Itachi. Raid spun around in midair and threw two kunai at Itachi, who responded with two of his own. Itachi's kunai deflected off the inside edge of Raid's kunai, causing the weapons to veer off course and head straight for Sasuke and Kisame.

Sasuke caught the kunai before hurling it at Kisame, who simply leaped to the side, allowing both kunai to whiz by harmlessly. _'I hope Raid-kun decides to leave soon… too much longer with this guy alone and I might not come back in one piece…'_ Sasuke thought as he prepared to clash with Kisame once more.

Raid spun behind a tree, feeling the trunk quiver slightly as several kunai thudded into it.

'_Come on, think! I need something he'll never see coming!' _Raid thought as he reached toward his equipment pouch for more kunai. His hand brushed one of his sake jugs and Raid mentally kicked himself. He quickly untied the lanyard holding the jug to his sash and wrapped it around his left wrist. Uncorking the jug, he took a large swallow, feeling the burn of good booze all the way to his stomach. _'Let's see what the smug teme makes of this!' _Raid thought as he spun out from behind the tree. He swayed back drunkenly, causing Itachi's horizontal slash with Zangetsu to miss his nose by millimeters. He took another long pull from the jug as he began to overbalance. Before he fell, Raid snapped his left foot into Itachi's jaw. Flowing with the momentum of his kick, Raid flipped back, planted his free hand and kicked Itachi in the chest, flipping himself back to his feet and sending Itachi flying.

Itachi gracefully turned his short flight into a backflip as Raid overbalanced once more and fell flat on his back. Itachi watched as Raid took another shot from the bottle in his hand._ 'Is this some trick?' _Itachi wondered as he approached Raid. Itachi stabbed down at Raid, only to have Raid snap his left foot up into the flat of the blade, knocking the thrust to his right.

Raid used the momentum of his kick to roll to his right, gaining his feet as he did. Continuing his spin, He caught Itachi across the face with a right backhand followed by a left hook that sent Itachi flying once more.

Itachi planted his left hand and slid to a stop before charging back in. Itachi slashed low, aiming to take out Raid's legs, only to have Raid dive forward.

Raid rolled across Itachi's shoulders and fell flat out. He kicked back a he fell, sending Itachi stumbling forward as he tucked into a roll and came up on his feet with his back to Itachi.

Itachi spun and slashed low once more, only for Raid to kick both feet up in front of him, narrowly avoiding the blade. As Raid fell, Itachi spun full circle and slashed high. Raid brought both legs up, effectively folding himself in half, and landed on his shoulders. With Itachi over extended above him, Raid snapped his back straight, slamming himself feet first into Itachi's stomach, sending both shinobi flying. Itachi landed flat on his back and Raid landed feet first on his chest before rolling back, coming to a stop on his back near Itachi's head.

Canyon

Kurenai stood on the wall of the canyon looking down on the seal on the rock next to her.

"I found the seal in the canyon." She reported.

"I have the one in the forest." Kiba said.

"I have located the seal in the field." Neji said.

"Found the one by the river." Kin said.

"Jade-chan, get ready to take the seal off there." Neji said.

"I'm in position." Jade replied.

"Now!" Neji shouted, prompting all the ninja to remove their seals at the same time. As soon as Jade was clear, Kakashi slapped his hands together in the tiger seal.

"Fuuton: Daitoppa!" He shouted, sending a blast of compressed air at the boulder blocking the way, turning it to rubble before their eyes.

As the dust began to settle, several figures shot out of the cave and scattered, shocking Jade and Kakashi.

"Aww. Come back! I want to play some more!" Gaara shouted after them as he appeared at the mouth of the cave, his fluffy striped tail wagging happily.

"GAARA-KUN!" Jade shouted as she wrapped him up in a bear hug.

"Reunion has to wait." Gaara said as he slipped out of Jade's arms. "I want to catch the hunched one. He knows what happened to the Yondaime Kazekage." Gaara explained as the three of them took off after the cloaked man.

"Kurenai-san, we have Gaara-san." Kakashi said over the radio. "Currently in pursuit of one of the nin with the intent to capture. What's your status?"

"The seals had some sort of security measure." Kurenai said as the clang of steel rang through her words. "It appears as though it cloned me." She finished, causing Jade's eyes to widen. She flashed through several hand seals before two human sized clouds of smoke appeared on either side of her.

River

Kin stood across from the river staring at her clone. _'This is weird.' _ She thought as her clone hurled another fistful of senbon at her. She spun the chain from her kusari-gama in a quick circle in front of her, deflecting the needles. _'At least it only cloned my body and not my tactics…' _She mused as she spun the weighted end of the chain in a circle behind her before letting fly at her clone, causing the other foxtailed girl to skip to one side to avoid broken bones.

Clearing

Neji stood panting in the middle of the clearing, surrounded by craters. He settled into his Juken stance and slowed his breathing as his clone charged in once more. _'Doesn't this damn thing get tired?" _He wondered as he dodged several palm strikes before lashing out with a swift combo of pokes into his foe's torso, which sealed several tenketsu. His clone leaped back before striking itself twice in the left pectoral, twisting its hand on the second strike, causing its tenketsu to open once more. His foe charged in once more, only for Neji to hop back and throw a palm strike.

"Eight Trigrams: (Empty Palm)!" He shouted, throwing an invisible ball of chakra at his foe, who responded by skidding to a stop and spinning into a Kaiten, deflecting the chakra ball. When his opponent came out of its spin, several senbon pierced some of its critical pressure points, causing the thing to crumple to the ground.

Neji dashed forward to inspect the body and ensure it wouldn't get back up again. As he checked the body, he discovered what he had thought to be senbon were actually splinters of ice.

Forest

'_I did a really dumb thing here.' _Kiba thought as he panted on his knees, positioned protectively in front of Akamaru. _'I took myself too lightly when the seal didn't clone Akamaru, and he got hurt because of me.' _His clone smirked smugly before charging forward.

A man stepped out of the shadows behind on of the trees and swatted the clone away with the flat of his sword, much like a batter swinging at a pitch.

"Who are you?" Kiba asked as his vision started to get hazy, the exhaustion catching up to him.

"I'm a friend of Jade-san's." A rough voice said. "Don't worry, she told me about you, Kiba-san. I'll take care of you and Akamaru." The voice sounded as if it was coming to Kiba's ears through water as he lost his grip on consciousness.

Canyon

Kurenai stood on the opposite side of the canyon from her clone, her two tails lashing indignantly. _'How dare they clone me! They will pay for this.' _She thought before bringing her katana vertically up in front of her face. "Scatter, Senbonzakura." She said in a dangerous tone, causing the blade of her sword to shatter into what appeared to be thousands of cherry blossom pedals before blowing away. Her clone charged forward only to be sliced to ribbons by the dancing blades, causing the abused thing to crumble back into the rock that had formed it. Kurenai took a deep breath before exhaling and reforming her sword and sliding it away.

"Kin-chan, how are you faring?" Kurenai asked as she pressed the button on the microphone around her neck.

"Really confused. One second, I was fighting my clone, and the next second a red haired swordsman came out of nowhere and smacked the thing with a blunt sword and it dissolved into water." Kin replied.

"I'll be right there, wait for me." Kurenai said before dashing off toward the river.

Woods

Raid and Sasuke were backed up back to back as Itachi and Kisame crouched warily in the trees, keeping their distance from the dangerous duo. Both teens were panting hard with the exertion of keeping up with the two nukenin. The two cloaked nin hurled a barrage of kunai at the two panting nin, causing both of the teens to tense in preparation for pain.

Pain which never came.

When the kunai had reached the halfway point to their targets, two streaks of light, one silver and the other yellow, flashed by and the knives clattered to the ground. Two men stood at opposite sides of the two teens, one with long silver hair reaching his waist wearing a black leather trench coat and pants with metal shoulder guards and a ridiculously long katana in his hand, the other wore a white cloak with flames stitched along the bottom. The kanji for fourth dominated the back and his blonde hair fell to his shoulders.

"We cannot win this fight." Itachi said emotionlessly. "We will withdraw for now." He finished prompting both nin to vanish into smoke.

Sasuke turned to Raid. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." Raid replied. "Mind controlled teme took Zangetsu, but at least we still have our lives." Raid said as he allowed himself to fall to his knees in exhaustion.

"We'll get it back when we capture him." Sasuke said confidently.

Saxyguy – That's the last bit of this chapter. Yeah I know, I took for fucking ever, but military life leaves one with a lot of wants, such as free time and sleep, which has become mostly the same thing for me… the unfortunate part is that it doesn't leave me with a whole lot of time to work on my stories, but I will continue to press on.

Leave a review if you want, hell bitch at me for taking so long, some kind of feed back would be nice.


	18. Chapter 17

Saxyguy – Sorry to all of my oh so loyal readers, that it has taken me this long to update again. I am currently swamped in projects, and work doesn't leave me with much extra time to work on them. Never fear! I will carry on!

Leo – Yeah right. *Rolls eyes* You spend most of your time playing therapist to drunk chicks at the strip club.

Saxyguy – *Gasps in shock* That is an unfair accusation! Not all of them are drunk.

Leo – *Rolls eyes once more* Just get on with the story before I hurt you for wasting my, and our readers, time.

Chapter 17

Gaara led Kakashi and Jade along a river canyon, leaping from rock formations spanning the deep crevice.

"How did you find out about the Kazekage?" Kakashi asked.

"I may have been unconscious, but I could hear everything they said, and one of them commented that I had similar abilities to the Kazekage." Gaara explained as they hurried after the fleeing nin. "While not altogether surprising, seeing as how the Kazekage's abilities were well known, that man knew too much detail about his special ability."

"What was that?" Jade asked.

"The Yondaime Kazekage could turn his chakra into a magnetic field and use it to control iron filings, much like I control the sand, only with greater attack strength and defensive capability due to the greater durability." Gaara sighed and shook his head, causing his new ears to flop slightly. "If he did what I think he did, then we are in for a very tough fight when we catch up to him. Kakashi-san, this will be a fight I highly recommend you stay out of. With the way Sasori-san fights, anyone who cannot anticipate his moves will be at a severe disadvantage." Gaara explained. "And with puppet masters, one scratch can be lethal."

"What about you and Jade-chan?" Kakashi said.

"My recent transformation has rendered me immune to all but the most potent poisons, combined with the fact that I have the defensive abilities of my sand; make me a wise choice for this battle." Gaara explained. "Jade can help for two reasons. One: she has experience with puppet combat and can more readily predict Sasori-san's moves. And two: I can easily cover another person with my sand. Protecting two besides myself against Sasori-san would be impossible without leaving openings. Openings he could easily exploit."

"I thought you said you were immune to his poison now." Kakashi retorted, trying to find a way to get in on the action.

"Poison, maybe. But that doesn't make me immune to pain. Pain would be a distraction to me. One that could cost one of you your life." Gaara replied calmly. "I know you want to help, but the best way for you to do so, is to be ready to assist if we don't catch up to him alone. If he has a partner, you will have to distract him while Jade-chan and I take Sasori-san."

As Gaara finished talking, Jade spotted a hunched figure on one of the rock formations spanning the ravine. "Gaara-kun, there he is!" Jade whispered, hoping to avoid informing him of their location. It was a wasted effort though, as several clay birds struck either end of the spur of rock they stood on, dropping it toward the river below.

"Kakashi-san, distract him, but do not kill him." Gaara said. "He's one of the nin mentioned in Itachi-san's letter!"

"Hai!" Kakashi shouted as he leaped from the falling rock to a nearby wall and sprinted up toward Deidara, who was perched on the edge of the cliff. As Kakashi charged at him, Deidara dropped a clay spider at him, which Kakashi countered with a kunai, causing the fake animal to detonate harmlessly above him. As Kakashi approached, Deidara leaped back and landed on his large clay riding bird before taking to the air once more. The silver haired jounin came to a halt at the top of the canyon, content to guard, the two Konoha nin below him instead of giving chase. Deidara smirked as he looked down at Kakashi.

"If it isn't Kakashi-san…" Deidara sneered mockingly. "Was Konoha's Anbu to difficult? Or have you just lost your edge?"

Instead of exploding in rage as Deidara had hoped, Kakashi simply stared at him, as if trying to fathom the depths of his idiocy for trying to taunt an experienced foe into making a genin mistake. "What did you hope to accomplish with your words Deidara-san? Surely you weren't hoping for a reaction."

Deidara growled at his failed verbal gambit. "Why do you simply stand there Kakashi-san? Are you afraid to face me?"

"Fear has nothing to do with it." Kakashi replied steadily. "My comrades are better served by me being close by to watch their backs. I would be l much less effective at it if I chased after you." Kakashi finished as he drew a pair of kunai and watched his opponent carefully for signs of his next attack.

Gaara and Jade stood on the same rock spire, facing Sasori.

"Why chase after me demon. If it is vengeance you seek, there are other, more powerful targets then I." Sasori growled out.

"If I wished to hunt more powerful targets, I would have killed you when you came to Konoha to free my back as I hunted." Gaara replied. _'Go. Follow Jade-chan and protect her as you protect me.' _Gaara mentally ordered half of his sand. It slithered away from him to coil at Jade's feet like a docile python. "No, the reason I hunted you down first is you have information regarding the Yondaime Kazekage. I want to know what happened to him."

"I seem to remember someone who went by that title…" Sasori replied thoughtfully, mocking Gaara. "Where have I heard that title before?"

"Maybe somewhere in the desert near Suna?" Gaara suggested calmly, his tone not revealing the rage seething inside of him at the injustice before him. _'To think that even a once great shinobi like Sasori-san could be captured and enslaved by the leader of Akatsuki… He must be a powerful foe indeed.' _"Tell me what you know of what happened to the Kazekage."

"Why should I do something like that?"

"Because if you don't I'll make you regret it." Jade retorted coolly.

"You are welcome to try if you have a death wish." Sasori shot back. "You won't even scratch my armor."

"That's what you think." Jade replied from her new position behind Sasori.

As Sasori spun to face the threat at his back, Gaara launched himself forward. Realizing his mistake, Sasori tried to dodge, but Gaara's blow was too swift and he crushed the puppet that was Sasori's armor. Gaara hopped out of the way as a black cloaked form leaped out of the scattering debris.

"Not bad." Sasori said in a smoother tone. "You may be worth my time." Sasori continued as he reached up and pulled down his hood. A surprisingly young looking man stood before them. "In appreciation for your efforts, I'll even show you my favorite puppet." He finished as he produced a scroll from one of his sleeves. Snapping the scroll open, he palmed the seal in the center and there was a popping sound accompanied by a cloud of smoke.

When the smoke cleared, Sasori was standing backed by the Yondaime Kazekage. "This is my favorite puppet. It's been forever since I've actually had to use him. You should feel blessed that I respect you so much."

"Stuff it." Gaara replied. "You play with dolls to fight."

Sasori nearly face-planted. "That was a very pitiful attempt at upsetting me."

"No. That was a very effective distraction." Jade replied as her Suiton Suiryuudan no Jutsu destroyed the rock bridge Sasori was standing on.

Sasori leaped back before sending his puppet forward with a flick of his wrist. As the fake Yondaime Kazekage shot forward, hidden weaponry sprang from its sleeves. Gaara smiled as the puppet sped toward him. Without any visible prompting, the sand heaped around Gaara's feet heaved up and launched at the flying weapon, splitting in two to attack from both sides. The instant before it would have been crushed, Sasori jerked the puppet back and launched a barrage of senbon at Jade from its mouth.

Jade leaped to one side, avoiding most of the senbon while Gaara's borrowed sand blocked the rest. She landed on another rock bridge and pivoted before throwing two kunai at Sasori himself, causing the red headed puppeteer to hop to one side to dodge.

As Sasori landed, Gaara wrapped him up in his sand, only to have the slippery nin replace himself with a nearby rock the instant before Gaara crushed his legs. Suddenly, Gaara found himself on the defensive as Sasori mercilessly attacked him with his puppet. Jade tried to leap to his aid, but Sasori appeared and kicked her away and continued his assault on Gaara.

Gaara, for his part, found himself sorely pressed as his sand could not block all of the rapid fire attacks that Sasori threw at him, forcing him to dodge the rest. The fierce melee began to turn around when Gaara managed to catch the buzz saw on his foes left arm in his sand and rip it from its mounts, effectively disarming it. Gaara smirked before dropping on his stomach to avoid is opponent's backhand slash with the blade attached to its right arm.

Before the puppet could even finish the follow through, Jade appeared behind it on its right side. She stopped the blade with a kunai before wrapping her arm around the offending appendage and ripping it off.

Before they could damage his puppet anymore, Sasori jerked it back to his side. "Not bad, but I haven't even begun to fight yet." Sasori said with a smirk as the puppet beside him opened its mouth and spewed forth a large pile of iron filings. "This is one of my most prized puppets." Sasori said as the 'iron sand' in front of him slowly formed into a large rectangular prism and an inverted square pyramid. "This is because it is so far the only puppet I have created that maintained its jutsu after death. Behold the power of the Yondaime Kazekage!" Sasori shouted as the pyramid elongated into a spear and shot towards Gaara.

Gaara leaped to his right, not trusting his sand to stop the spear. A moment later, two circular discs, a foot in diameter formed on either side of Sasori and blocked Jade's two fans. Gaara was awestruck as Jade leaped nearly five stories straight up and continued her attack, her aerial assault looking more akin to a ballet as her fans twisted and flipped over one another to clash with Sasori's defense. Unfortunately, for all her flair with her attacks, Sasori defeated all of them, leaving Jade frustrated.

Gaara smirked as he launched a volley of suna shuriken, attempting to target the blind spots Sasori created as he blocked Jade's attacks. The first dozen or so were close before Sasori realized they were coming and blocked them, after that, Gaara's attacks were quickly frustrated as well. Thinking quickly, Gaara started throwing shuriken and kunai intermixed with his suna shuriken, the different weights causing them to approach Sasori at different speeds, further complicating the attack, but Sasori kept up easily.

Sasori was in a bad situation and he knew it. The two may not be able to breach his defense, but he was so busy blocking their attacks, that he had no time to counter.

As Sasori tried to find a way to counter attack, Gaara, in a surprise move pulled all the defensive sand from himself and Jade and launched it at his puppet. Sasori blinked in surprise as his puppet was cocooned in sand before he yanked it out of Gaara's sand prison. As soon as Sasori's puppet cleared his sand, Gaara reformed it into two walls shielding him and Jade from Sasori.

As Sasori glanced over to check the status of his puppet, he found it covered in active exploding tags. He had just enough time to hurl the puppet away from him before it exploded. As the dust was settling, Sasori found himself wrapped up to his neck in sand, unable to move at all.

'_His grip with the sand is incredible; I can't even move enough to perform Kawarimii…' _Sasori thought to himself as Jade appeared behind him with her eyes glowing electric violet. Jade flashed through a long string on hand seals before slapping her right hand across the back of Sasori's head.

"Fuuinjutsu: Dorei no Fuuin Kai!" Jade shouted as a white light enveloped her and Sasori.

Gaara shielded his eyes as the light grew to blinding intensity before vanishing with a loud explosion.

The jutsu had blasted away the sand holding Sasori up, and he had fallen to his knees. Jade was standing behind him with her hand still extended and her eyes closed.

"It worked…" She said.

"…I'm free…?" Sasori said slowly as he looked around. "How did you release the seal?" He asked when he spotted Jade.

"Well I'm not all together sure of how that particular jutsu works, but Ero-sennin should be able to explain it to you if you really want to know." She replied. "Now if you'll excuse me." She said as she hopped across several spires of rock before coming to a halt and from the look of it, talking to thin air.

Gaara sighed slightly as he relaxed from the fight. Kakashi landed next to him in a crouch.

"His partner ran off." He remarked. "Now what do we do with him?" Kakashi asked, indicating the red haired puppeteer who was currently looking around and getting used to his new freedom.

"We'll take him to Konoha with us. Jade-chan and I will vouch for his innocence. With all likely hood, Tsunade-sama will accept him as a Konoha shinobi in exchange for information on Akatsuki." Gaara replied as he did the seals for summoning, calling a cat sized raccoon. "Return to Konoha and report to the Hokage. Tell her we have freed Sasori and will be returning with him." Gaara ordered. The raccoon nodded once and leaped off. Gaara leaped over to where Jade stood in time to catch the end of a sentence.

"…I'll pass that on to him then." Jade said before she turned to face Gaara, her eyes fading from electric violet to their normal bright green. "How are you?" She asked.

"I'm fine, considering what they tried to do to me. What was that?" Gaara asked.

"What was what?" Jade asked, pretending not to understand.

"Why did your eyes change color? And who were you talking to?" Gaara asked.

"I was talking to the spirit of your father." Jade replied. "I'll explain more when we return to Konoha. I need to inform Tsunade-sama about my ability and I'd prefer to minimize the number of times I have to repeat this."

Saxyguy – There. The newest chapter is done.

Leo – Finally! You've been working on this for how long?

Saxyguy – I dunno… But I don't have much time to write anymore…

Leo – And yet you still find time to go to strip clubs and get drunk on a weekly basis.

Saxyguy – I do NOT go on a weekly basis.

Leo – Once every couple of days then. Sound better? *Thumps Saxyguy with a boken*

Saxyguy – OW! Review!


	19. Chapter 18

Saxyguy – okay. I'm starting another chapter here, but I have no clue how long it will be until it sees the light of the internet…

Leo – Well if you had any kind of work ethic, you'd know. But you're lazy, so I have no hope for you.

Chapter 18

Gaara, Jade, and Sasori stood in front of Tsunade.

"So Jade-chan removed the seal from Sasori-san?" She asked, recapping their report.

"Yes. And I have a new doujutsu." Jade said. "It was a gift from Lyn-chan for freeing her."

"What does it do?" Tsunade asked.

"It grants me the ability to summon a powerful swordsman from another realm. As well as allowing me a photographic memory for hand seals, without the copying ability of the Sharingan. It also allows me to talk to and summon the spirits of the dead."

"What do you mean summon?' Tsunade asked.

"It would be easier if I just showed you." She replied as her eyes turned violet before launching into a series of hand seals. She finished and slapped a hand to the ground, causing a cloud of smoke to burst from the floor in front of her. When the smoke cleared the Yondaime Hokage was standing in the office.

"Huh. Never thought I'd see the inside of this room again." Minato commented as Tsunade tried to pick up her jaw. The blonde haired man looked around for a moment before looking at the current Hokage. "Tsunade-san. Good to see they gave the job to someone worthy. Looks like you've done good by the village."

"How long does this jutsu last?" Tsunade finally managed.

"I haven't tested the length yet. But I've summoned him for upwards of two hours without much effort." Jade explained.

"It helps that she doesn't have to power my jutsu too. I come with my own chakra, just like any other summon. I take less effort to get because the dead tend to hang out around anything interesting, and Jade-san's doujutsu makes her very interesting to us." Minato explained, before vanishing in a puff of smoke.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door.

"Enter." Tsunade called.

The door opened and Zabuza walked in. followed by his apprentice Haku and a red haired samurai. "I was told to report to you when we arrived at the gate." Zabuza stated.

"And what are you in the village for?" Tsunade replied.

"They are here because I negotiated an end to hostilities in the country of wave by offering them a place in our village." Jade said.

"Did you now?" Tsunade asked, shocked. "And how did you know I would approve?"

"One: Because I can vouch for their character. Two: because the bingo book can vouch for Zabuza's skill and I will vouch for the other two." Jade began.

Tsunade nodded in agreement to her points as Jade spoke.

"And lastly: because you are my aunt and you love me?" Jade suggested hopefully, causing Gaara to double take.

"Wait, WHAT?" Gaara exclaimed. "Tsunade-sama is your AUNT?" He asked before assuming a thoughtful look. "Does that mean your…" He began only to have Jade thump him on the back of the head.

"Ero-tanuki-kun. Not in the office."Jade whispered.

"Well Zabuza-san, as my niece has brought up several valid points, I will allow you to stay. However, you are restricted to the village for a period of two weeks for observation before you will be allowed to take missions."

"Hai, Hokage-sama. Thank you for this opportunity." Zabuza replied with a bow.

"Report to training ground 13 tomorrow for testing to verify what rank you will hold in Konoha." Tsunade said before turning to Jade. "Thank you for the report." Tsunade said. "You are all dismissed now." Jade remained as the rest of the nin in the room filed out. "Yes Jade-chan?"

"I was wondering if it would be possible to study with you to learn medical jutsu." Jade requested straight away.

"Right to the heart of the matter eh?" Tsunade replied. "Very well, report to the training ground tomorrow with Zabuza-san. After his evaluation, we will begin your training. I warn you, it will not be easy."

"I wouldn't want it any other way."

Elsewhere

Lee, Raid, Jiraiya stood in the middle of a clearing facing one another.

"Now what are we doing here again?" Jiraiya asked acutely aware of their audience.

"We're going to spar." Raid replied as he removed his swords and handed them to Kin and Kurenai, who had appeared at his side. The two women took the swords and leaped back to the trees. He then removed two of his sake jugs and tossed one to Lee.

"And why are you two drinking before a spar?" Jiraiya asked. _'It's not like they know IT… they're far to young.' _He thought to himself.

"YOSH! Because Raid-kun and I know Drunken Fist!" Lee shouted before uncorking the bottle in his hand and taking a swig.

'_Well… Shit.' _Jiraiya thought. "You know a considerate man would bring enough for everyone." He pointed out.

"I did." Raid said as he tossed the other bottle to the toad hermit before removing the last bottle from his sash and uncorking it.

"Well seeing as how you were generous to bring me some as well, I figure I should return the favor and warn you." Jiraiya replied as he struck a generic martial arts pose. "I know kung fu!"

At Jiraiya's shout, Lee immediately charged Jiraiya. The old man dropped into a crouch as he spun and tripped Lee before uncorking the third bottle and wrapping the lanyard around his wrist.

"Did you know Jiraiya-san knew drunken fist?" Kurenai asked Kakashi.

"Nope. I was under the impression that Raid-kun and Lee-kun were the only two to actively use it in the village." Kakashi replied as Raid and Jiraiya both drank from the bottles in their hands. Lee lunged at Jiraiya once more, only to have the hermit flip back over him and zip two kunai at Raid.

The silver haired teen spun to his left and came to a stop facing Jiraiya in a crouch. "That wasn't very nice!" Raid shouted as he lunged at his opponent. Raid unleashed a flurry of strikes, none of which connected before Jiraiya grabbed the front of his shirt and spun to hurl him across the clearing. As he turned to look for his other foe, Lee tripped the old man before bringing his leg around and kicking him in the ribs.

"Not bad." Jiraiya commented as he pinned Lee's leg against his side and drank some more. "If you had any formal training in the style, you would be amazing."

"Try this!" Lee shouted as he kicked the sage in the head, forcing him to release his leg.

Jiraiya staggered to the side, causing Raid's kunai to miss by millimeters. He reached behind him as he caught his balance and pulled the scroll from its harness and tossed it to the side. "Damn thing gets in the way in a fight." He muttered as he shook his head and tossed back another swig from the bottle he held as Kakashi caught the scroll and carried it into the trees.

Lee charged at Jiraiya once more, only to have the sage throw his jug into his face before using the lanyard to pull it back to his hand.

Lee snapped his head back before spinning from the waist and slamming his right forearm into Jiraiya's stomach. Jiraiya stumbled back and Raid appeared in front of him and threw a strike at his chest. Jiraiya tossed his bottle up and wrapped the lanyard around Raid's wrist and pulled the strike out of line, causing the younger nin to twist away from his foe. This allowed Jiraiya to pin him against his side.

"You should have known that a straight attack would be wasted on me." Jiraiya said as he twisted Raid's captured arm to take another drink. Raid kicked back and caught his captor in the knee, allowing him to twist free.

Jiraiya hopped back, placing all of his weight on his uninjured knee as he lashed out repeatedly with his other foot, causing Raid to twist in interesting ways to avoid the strikes.

All three fighters stood swaying for a moment before they charged once more. Lee took two steps and tripped while Raid leaped over him and planted his hands before sweeping his legs at Jiraiya's ankles. The old man dove over Raid and tucked into a roll, drawing a kunai as he did. When he regained his feet, he flowed immediately into a lunge at Lee with his blade leading.

Lee leaned back, the kunai passing his face mere millimeters from his nose and grabbed Jiraiya by the vest before pulling him into a headbutt. Both combatants paused to hiss in pain and clutch their heads as Kakashi winced in sympathy.

"Nobody wins with a headbutt." Kyuubi commented to Kurenai from her place on her shoulder.

Meanwhile, Lee staggered and went to a knee right in front of Jiraiya. As soon as his hand touched the ground, Raid placed his hands on Lee's shoulders and spun his legs around, catching Jiraiya first with his left foot, then his right. He then swung his legs back around to catch the sage once more with his right foot then left, causing the old man to spin full circle twice before stumbling away.

"We should probably stop them now. If they push Jiraiya-san any more he'll get carried away and probably hurt one of them." Kurenai said.

"Not likely." Kakashi replied. "Jiraiya-sama may be a mega pervert, but he is also a superb ninja." Kakashi replied as Jiraiya used his dark swamp to sink both of his opponents to their waists. "And that's a wrap."

Kurenai sighed as she held her right hand out toward Raid and what appeared to be a fox tail shot out of her sleeve and wrapped around Raid's wrist. She smirked as she hopped back off the branch she was standing on to jerk Raid out of the mire.

Raid smiled mischievously as he released his hold on Kurenai's tail at the proper instant and used his momentum to tackle her. He turned them in mid air and landed on his feet with a wobble with Kurenai held safely in his arms. "You should know better then to try to mess with me when I've been drinking."

Lyn hopped from Kurenai's shoulder to Raid's before sliding down into his hood. Raid looked over his shoulder at her with his eyebrows raised. "Comfy?"

Lyn smiled as she pillowed her head on her hands and leaned back against his shoulder. "Yep. Kinda like a hammock."

Raid smiled as he set Kurenai on her feet and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Let's go get something to eat."

Ramen stand

Jade had just sat down to have a bowl or two of ramen when Sasori sat down next to her.

"I hear you know puppet jutsu." He said without preamble.

"Yes I do." Jade replied. "Itadakimasu!" She said as she broke her chopsticks and began to eat.

"I can help you. If you would train with me, I could evaluate your style and build you a puppet to fit your abilities." Sasori offered.

"Why do you want to help me?" Jade asked as she paused in her eating.

"As a thank you for freeing me from the Akatsuki." Sasori replied. "And hopefully as a way to get Hokage-sama to trust me more." He finished honestly.

"At least you're up front with your goals." Jade mused. "I could use the help. How much evaluation do you need?"

"One spar should be sufficient, then it will take me several days to make the puppet. After that, it's just a matter of showing you what the puppet can do."

"Then I look forward to our spar. You should know I'm training with Tsunade-sama in medical jutsu, so that may restrict the amount of time I have free to study puppet jutsu." Jade warned.

"That will be no problem. Come to me when you have the time for our first spar." Sasori replied as he rose and left the stand.

Saxyguy – Short I know, but I have to end this here otherwise it'll never get posted. I already know where the next several chapters are going so it hopefully won't be too long before I have the next one out.

Leo – Don't believe him, he has no clue, no work ethic, and no free time to boot. It will be months before you hear from him again.


	20. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Raid crouched in a tree on the boarder of fire country, his single silver fox tail swaying behind him lazily. The past month had been rather uneventful. Lyn had returned to her normal size about a week ago and he didn't leave the Uchiha compound for several days afterword. Tsunade, upset with him not reporting for missions, had sent ANBU after him to drag him into her office and had assigned him to border patrol as punishment. Of course that wasn't the only reason he was here. Evidently, the civil war in Kiri was beginning to worry Tsunade. From the intelligence they already had, it seemed as though the current kage wanted to exterminate the bloodlines of Kiri. This had caused the clans to rise up against him under a charismatic leader named Mei. From the looks of things, tension ran high and there was a danger of the conflict spilling over into the surrounding countries as both sides attempted to enlist aid from their neighbors.

Then Zabuza, Haku, and Kenshin arrived; bearing strange rumors of an army of soulless corpses. If true, this army could swing the balance of power in the favor of the current kage, crushing the rebel army and obliterating several bloodlines in one fell swoop.

This was the real reason Raid was here. He was ideal for this mission for several reasons. One: he was used to operating on his own. Two: most of his jutsu were not high profile or flashy. Three: he was not yet famous or infamous for his skill, despite his part in Orochimaru's defeat during the invasion of Konoha and his new status as a kitsune. Finally, the animals he summoned resided in Konoha proper, allowing for rapid communication and support were he to be found out.

Raid sighed in frustration. _'Lyn-chan finally comes back and returns to her proper size and I'm stuck out here on mission. Sometimes I hate my aunt…' _Raid thought as he hopped slowly and cautiously into water country.

Several days later

After several days of boredom tracking a large group of people, Raid finally caught up late one night. He landed in a tree overlooking the clearing they were stopped in. The entire army stood in ranks motionless while a small group of people set up two tents in the center of the field.

'_Why do all the foot soldiers stand at attention so? Shouldn't they break ranks and set up camp?' _Raid wondered in confusion as the people finished setting up the tents and entered them. Curious, Raid activated his Sharingan to allow him a closer look. He gasped in surprise at what he saw. _'None of them have any chakra of their own! They aren't even breathing!' _He realized as he formed the hand seals for summoning. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Uchiha Kin." He whispered, summoning his dark haired wife.

Kin blinked as she appeared next to Raid with a small pop and a cloud of smoke. Catching the tense atmosphere, she immediately suppressed her chakra as far as possible and waited for him to tell her what he needed.

Pulling out a scroll, Raid scribbled a quick report before handing it to her. "Take this to Hokage-sama." Raid said seriously. "The rumors appear to be true."

Kin nodded once and kissed him farewell before Raid dismissed her back to Konoha.

As soon as his mate vanished, Raid heard a twig snap behind him. True to his kitsune training, instead of whipping around to look, Raid froze and listened. His ears slowly rotated to align better with the approaching sound of footsteps. _'Three… no… Six of them… slowly fanning out… shuffling steps… complete lack of stealth… obviously can't see well in the dark, so clearly not enemy shinobi…' _Raid thought as he calmly evaluated his situation. _'Note to self: next time I stop to spy on an enemy camp, use Ninpo: Kamereono no Jutsu…' _Raid thought before his sharp hearing picked up the sound of an object slicing through the air. He rolled to the side, barely avoiding the twirling axe that was sent his way. He pulled two kunai as he spun and whipped them in the direction the axe had come from. Both kunai scored on his foe, one in the center of its chest and the other took it in the forehead, causing it to tumble back and lay still. _'Holy shit! They actually look like zombies! Wonder if they're infectious… Better not find out…' _He thought as the one he dropped slowly regained its feet and rejoined the others as they shuffled towards him. Sighing, Raid pulled one of the swords on his right hip and with a quick whispered prayer, it grew into a bamboo spear with a red tassel on the non-bladed end.

"Let's go." Raid said as he settled his grip and hurled himself forward.

Konoha

Kin reappeared in the Uchiha dojo where she had been sparring with Kurenai.

"I'm sorry Kure-chan, but I have to deliver this to Tsunade-sama." She said as she held up the scroll and vanished in a swirl of heatless black flame.

Kurenai sighed in mild frustration. "I wonder why he summoned her?" She mused as she replaced the gear they had been using and left to take a shower.

Hokage office

Kin appeared in front of Tsunade's desk in a swirl of black fire. Tsunade was asleep on the couch, having been working late trying to finish up her paper work.

"Tsunade-sama!" Kin shouted, waking the older woman. "Raid-kun sent this." She said as she held out the scroll. Tsunade sat up and took it from her. Unrolling the scroll on her knees, Tsunade read it.

"Inform your clan that they should stay prepared to be summoned at a moment's notice. From the looks of things, Raid-kun may be in trouble." Tsunade said seriously.

With Raid

Raid ducked under a horizontal axe swing before raising his spear above his head to catch the descending strike from the zombie behind him on the haft of his weapon. With a jerk, he disarmed it and spun the spear to disembowel it as he stood. He then went after the remaining three, having dismembered the others badly enough to render them harmless. As he slashed at the one in front of him, one of the others stepped in the way. "Break!" Raid shouted, causing his spear to separate into a three section staff and sever his intended target's arm. He snapped the weapon back, causing the zombie that got in his way to spin wildly. His weapon reformed into a spear once more and he separated the spinning zombie from its head before turning to face the last one. His eyes grew wide as the thing swelled grotesquely before exploding.

Raid hurled himself back away from the explosion, crossing his arms in front of him to protect his face and dropping his spear in the process. As soon as the weapon left his hand, it reverted to its sword form and the sheath reformed around it as it landed on the ground. Raid rolled to a stop before looking up, whipping his hair out of his face. He had landed in the clearing that was occupied by the army, but it was no longer here.

'_Did they hear the fight and move off?' _Raid wondered as he glanced around for tracks. Finding none, he closed his eyes and searched for chakra. _'Shit! Genjutsu!' _He thought as he slapped his hands together in the ram seal. "KAI!" He shouted, causing the clearing to shimmer as the thousands of creatures around him appeared from thin air. _'Oh I am SO screwed…'_ Raid thought as he surveyed his opponents as they slowly shuffled towards him. _'What do I have that's highly destructive short of summoning Lyn…' _He thought as he pulled his second sword on his right hip and whispered the release prayer, causing a chain to grow from the hilt of it. He grabbed the chain in his left hand and spun the loose end idly as he settled the sword into a reverse grip in his right hand. After a quick survey of the crowd around him, Raid dashed to the left, breaking for the weakest part of the crowd in an attempt to get back to the trees.

His break was brilliant. He used the sword and chain combo like an artist, dodging strikes, blocking those he couldn't dodge with his blade and using the chain to drag bodies out of his way. Unfortunately, for all his speed and skill, the press of bodies around him caused him to falter and slow. Finally, several soldiers dove on the chain as he pulled it away from his most recent obstruction, causing his own momentum to jerk the blade from his hand. He cart wheeled once to regain his balance and avoid the two strikes at his legs then launched himself into a front flip from his hands and over the press of bodies and began to run across them, stepping on heads and shoulders as he continued his frantic sprint for the treeline.

He managed about fifteen yards before one of the people he stepped on reacted fast enough to grab him and drag him back to the ground. He planted his right hand and tucked into a roll to break the thing's grip on his ankle before vaulting back to his feet and drawing the first sword on his left hip. He snapped a quick circle, clearing out some of his opponents to give him some room.

"Howl, Zabimaru!" Raid shouted, causing the blade in his hand to explode into a jagged chain sword. The army stayed back, appearing cowed. Raid smirked, thinking he had finally gotten enough space to shushin away when the ground shook in time to a heavy tromp. Looking over his shoulder, Raid's ears drooped and his tail sagged limply to the ground. _'I can't win for losing today…'_ He thought as he surveyed the man in front of him.

He carried a huge ball attached to a long chain, and he swung the ball in idle circles as if it weighed nothing. His body was covered in scars, and he moved with the ease of a hunting cat, only with a heavier gait due to his weight.

Without warning, the man swung the ball in a horizontal circle at Raid, causing the kitsune to duck as the solid ball hummed by overhead. As he stood, Raid thrust out with Zabimaru, sending the blade on a straight course for the man's chest. The man spun past Raid's attack with grace that defied his size and brought his weapon down overhead, intending to squish his smaller opponent. Raid spun to his left and into a crouch, bringing Zabimaru around in a horizontal slash. His foe brought the trailing end of his chain up to block, causing the end of Raid's weapon to pivot around and speed toward his unprotected side. The instant before the blade dug into flesh, the man tensed his muscle on that side of his body, causing Raid's attack to barely penetrate his skin. Raid ripped his sword back and retracted it to normal length.

The huge man laughed sinisterly. "My name is Sanza." He said. "By tensing my muscles in the area of an attack, I can all but negate the penetrating ability of most blades, leaving you next to helpless. Now feel true fear as I crush you into oblivion!" Sanza shouted as he threw his iron ball at Raid.

Setting his forearm against the back of his blade, Raid blocked the ball, skidding back nearly to the circle of zombies surrounding the two combatants. Sanza never let his weapon touch the ground, instead returning it to his hand with an easy flick. Raid fell to one knee, tired from the exertion of continuous combat, even against the weak opponents he had first faced. _'Damn lack of endurance… should've trained more… Lee-kun wouldn't even be winded right now…'_ Raid thought as Sanza swung his ball in from Raid's left. Springing off his right leg, Raid barely flipped sideways over it. During his return to earth, Raid struck the chain of Sanza's weapon, attempting to break it. Unfortunately, Zabimaru hooked in the chain and the greater weight of the iron ball pulled Raid along after it. He slammed into the ground and slid to a stop face first and lay still for a moment, stunned.

Sanza laughed cruelly as he caught his weapon once more. "How does it feel to be hopeless little kitsune?" He shouted as he brought the ball down in a vertical arc at Raid.

Raid's ear twitched as the ball whistled towards his back. At the last instant, he spun about to place his feet on the underside of the ball right before it smashed him into the ground.

Konoha

Kin, Lyn, and Kurenai were seated at the dining room table in the Uchiha compound having tea, as had become their custom after Raid had left on his most recent mission. Jade walked in as Lyn reached for her cup. Just as her fingertips touched the ceramic, the cup shattered, splashing her with hot tea. All present looked worried as they all thought the same thing.

'_If a mere crack is a bad omen, what does that mean?'_

Land of Water

Raid hid underground, attempting to rest some before reappearing. He hadn't had enough time to bring Zabimaru with him. He had barely managed the one handed seals for Doton Dochu Eigyo no Jutsu before that brute had attempted to squash him. As he moved through the earth, he tracked the heavy thud of Sanza's booted feet. _'That man needs to die for me to escape this.' _Raid thought. _'Out of the entire army, he appears to be the only one who can threaten me. Fine then, lets see how he handles this.' _Raid thought savagely as he formed several hand seals before leaping out of the earth high above his opponent. "CHIDORI!" Raid shouted as he descended head first, his left hand coved in lightning. Sanza raised his chain to block the thrust and abruptly the lightning traveled up Raid's arm and down his torso as he grabbed the blocking chain in his right hand. Using his grip on his opponent's weapon, Raid swung his now lightning covered foot around and plunged it into and through his foe's chest, destroying most of the left side of his chest before his foot burst out of Sanza's back. Raid ripped his leg free, flipped over his fallen enemy's head, and landed in a crouch as the body fell behind him.

Raid slowly stood and surveyed his new surroundings as he slid his final sword from its scabbard. _'This is going to be tricky…'_ Raid thought as he took in the larger number of foes he now faced. _'How are there more of them? It's impossible… unless…' _Raid thought as he glanced back at the carnage he had wreaked before. As he watched, several of the body parts he had severed were growing entire bodies. The ones he had frozen and shattered remained ice, but those he had simply dismembered more than made up the difference. He glanced down at the sword he still held. _'She's not ideal for this… In fact, she'll only make it worse in the long run, but she's all I got so I'll have to make due…'_

The nearest zombie lunged for him, reaching with its arms. With a complex twirl, Raid severed those arms, followed by the legs and finally the head. "Fine. If that's how it's gonna be, let's go!" Raid exclaimed. "Growl, Heineko!"Raid shouted as he raised the sword before him. The blade exploded into ash, vanishing on the wind. The first rank of the surrounding zombies fell to pieces around him and a cloud of thin ash formed around him as Heineko took a neutral stance, waiting for his command. He focused and Heineko responded, forming several thicker bands of ash that swirled around him, chasing each other playfully and passing breezes over his torn clothing. Focusing once more, Raid reformed Heineko into a spinning drill in front of him before sprinting for the trees once more. He made it halfway there before the kunai reached him.

The first two smacked into the back of his left shoulder and the third sliced across the inside of his right wrist, causing him to drop Heineko as his hand went numb and his fingers relaxed. Attempting to gain the trees anyway, Raid forced his chakra into his legs and vaulted out over the crowd once more, avoiding the rest of the kunai aimed at his former location. He felt a tingle as the nerves in his wrist reconnected, allowing him to move his fingers once more.

'_I really need to remember to thank Lyn-chan for turning me before this mission.' _Raid thought as he reached back and pulled the two kunai from his shoulder, allowing the wounds to close. Like a diving eagle, Raid landed in the crowed once more, driving several people to the ground under him before leaping away once more. He twisted mid leap and whipped the two kunai he had pulled from his own body at the nin chasing him over the soldiers. The cloaked man deflected the kunai with the weighted end of a kusari gama before throwing it at Raid. Unable to dodge in mid air, Raid brought a hand up to bat the weight away, but with a subtle twist, his new opponent slipped the chain past his guard and wrapped it around his left wrist and neck. Raid was jerked back by his foe and slammed to the ground in the center of the zombie horde.

He shakily returned to his feet, obviously in pain. His stance straightened as his demonic blood quickly healed his broken bones. "I didn't want to have to use this yet. In fact, I had hoped to avoid using it entirely, but you've backed me into a corner." Raid growled out darkly as he beat back the press of shambling corpses. Dipping the first two fingers of his left hand into the blood remaining on his right wrist, he slid it up the inside of his forearm, bisecting a seal placed there. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Kyuubi no Kitsune." Raid said as he slammed his palm into the ground with enough force to knock back the first row of soldiers and drop the surrounding ground into a medium sized crater. There was a massive explosion of smoke from the ground at Raid's feet as Lyn appeared under him in her demon form.

Lyn, for her part, suffered a minor bout of disorientation finding herself suddenly fifty feet tall and furry once more. She rapidly took in her surroundings, including Raid's tattered state as he fell to a knee on her nose. _**"What happened to you?"**_ Lyn asked Raid, speaking directly to his mind.

_"Long story. I'll tell you later." _Raid replied as he slowly caught his breath. _"These things are like the dead, cutting them up doesn't work, it just makes more of them." _Raid explained.

_**"Then how do I kill them?" **_Lyn asked.

_"Still working on that." _Raid responded sheepishly.

_**"Well work faster, they're trying to climb my legs." **_Lyn said as she stomped her right foreleg, knocking several zombies loose and crushing several. She swept her tails along the ground, sending whole crowds flying into the surrounding forest.

_'That won't solve our problem, they'll just come back with more than we can fight...' _Raid thought before he had a flash of inspiration. _"Lyn! Use fire! Burn them to ash and they can't come back!"_

_**"Are you sure?" **_Lyn asked.

_"Do you have a better idea?"_ Raid asked.

_**"Nope." **_Lyn replied as she focused chakra into her throat and inhaled deeply. _**"Kitsune Bi!"**_ She shouted as she exhaled a huge ball of blue fire at the crowd directly in front of her. A large section of the army simply vanished in the blaze, unfortunately, she was forced to stand still long enough for some of the zombies to climb her hind legs. _**"Raid! Some of them managed to get up with you! They're on my back!"**_ She informed him.

Raid leaped off to intercept the zombies climbing his mate. Unfortunately they didn't go after Raid, instead turning to throw themselves on Lyn's tails, their combined weight bearing two of them to the ground where they were buried under the press of bodies. Slowly, they were dragging Lyn's tails to the ground, thus nullifying one of her most potent weapons.

_**"Raid, I can't get my tails free!" **_Lyn shouted as several of the zombies around her left hind leg swelled up and exploded, causing her leg to buckle and drop her back half to the ground.

Raid clung to Lyn's fur as she fell. _"Lyn, are you alright?"_

_**"Well it didn't tickle."**_ Lyn grumbled. _**"If I wasn't so out of practice, we wouldn't be in this situation right now. Hang on."**_ She warned as she managed to launch herself off the ground and spun to face the other way, throwing the zombies on her off. When she landed, she once more bathed the area in front of her in baby blue flame, incinerating another large chuck of the army. _**"Raid, I don't think the fire idea is working." **_Lyn noted with concern as several thousand zombies started to regrow where she had first burned them.

_"Then I think it's time to leave."_ Raid replied.

Lyn crouched in preparation to leap away, only to have several hundred zombies pile onto her, bearing her to the ground once more. Lyn growled helplessly as their foes climbed over her to get at Raid.

Raid, for his part was slowly driven back up to Lyn's head as he attempted to clear enough weight off her to allow her to jump free. _"I'm sorry honey." _Raid said as he was driven onto her nose once more by the press of bodies flowing over her. "Looks like we have to separate here." He said, jumping to spoken language once more.

_**"NO!"**_ Lyn shouted. _**"We can still find a way out!"**_

Raid picked up a zombie by its tattered shirt and hurled it away. The zombies piled in, trying to bear him down by sheer numbers. The last thing she saw before he dismissed her back to Konoha was Raid, zombies hanging off of him in their effort to bring him down, grabbing the nearest zombie and raising it from its feet and drawing his fist back to strike it in the face.

Konoha

Lyn appeared in the Uchiha compound in her room. She looked around for a moment stunned at what had just occurred. _'We lost… And it's my fault...' _She thought as tears sprung to her eyes. "No..." She moaned as she fell to her knees with a soft thump. Tears traced tracks down her cheeks as it slowly sank in. "No, no, no,nonono... This isn't happening..." She sobbed out. "YOU BASTARD!" She screamed. "WHY DID YOU MAKE ME LEAVE!" She finished as her world collapsed around her.

Two pairs of arms wrapped her up as her screams brought Kurenai and Kin running, swiftly followed by the rest of the residents of the main house.

Clearing

_'I'm sorry Lyn.' _Raid thought as he was dragged to the ground swiftly. He felt a set of cuffs snap around his wrists and his chakra drained to zero, causing him to black out.

Saxyguy - That's all for this chapter folks. Not bad for how long it took me to write it huh?

Leo - We discussed how this chapter would go how long ago?

Saxyguy - Dunno. Why?

Leo - *Rolls her eyes* You are hopeless. Try to hurry up with the next chapter, otherwise some people might try to hunt you down in you leave this cliffy too long. *Walks away*

Saxyguy - *Sighs in relief* At least she didn't hit me this time... *Gets nailed in the face with a monkey wrench, knocking him to the ground.* OW! *Lyn, Kurenai, and Kin loom over him.*

Lyn - You had better work fast. *Cracks knuckles.*

Saxyguy - *Looks at audience* Review. *Looks back to Lyn* Please don't hurt me.


	21. Chapter 20

Saxyguy – Fair warning to all those with weak stomachs, this chapter will contain mentions of torture, and for those of you good at reading between the lines, you may even figure out what exactly is happening. I really hate writing about stuff like this, but in this case it was necessary.

Chapter 20

"WHAT?" Tsunade shouted, causing birds to take flight all over Konoha.

"I said Raid has been captured." Lyn replied calmly. "He was discovered during his mission and was forced to fight. I'm not sure how the start of the fight went as he didn't summon me until a last resort, but from the looks of things, it didn't go well for him. By the time I got there, he no longer carried his swords, and he looked as if he had been beaten severely and was barely able to stand."

"Who took him?" Tsunade asked as she placed her head in her hands in shock. _'Out of all the nin I command, him and Jade were the two I never expected this to happen to…'_

"The purist army. His initial report was not complete. The rumors of the army are true. And every time you cut one of them apart, the soldier regenerates, a new one forming from each body part separated from the main."Lyn said, maintaining her cool as Tsunade slowly broke down. "Even turning the body to ash does not stop this regeneration. From the looks of his initial fight, only freezing them, or utterly destroying them will work. That or killing the one supporting the jutsu."

"How can you be so calm about this?" Tsunade asked as tears filled her eyes.

"I am not." Lyn replied simply. "The only reason I am here to report to you is because I didn't know where to start looking. Unfortunately, Jade was not as rational as I and left half an hour ago."

Tsunade's eyes hardened. "She did what?" The Hokage demanded coldly.

"If you even think of punishing her for looking for her twin and your nephew, then this village is undeserving of my clan." Lyn replied. "She left to do the initial search for Raid. Once she locates him, or information regarding his whereabouts, she will send word. Then my clan and I will go to support her effort to recover her brother and our mate."

Tsunade scowled for a moment before taking a deep breath and letting it out. "Very well. Keep me posted. Good luck finding him. Let me know if there is anything the village can do to help. He is my nephew after all."

"We will. Don't worry. We will find him." Lyn said, more to convince herself than Tsunade.

Elsewhere

Raid was awoken with a punch to the stomach. His legs gave out in shock, leaving him suspended by his wrists from the wall he was chained to. His vision slowly returned to focus as he sagged limply against his bonds. Eventually, he could make out the figure of a man in front of him, pulling on gloves.

"Why were you spying on my army?" The man asked.

Raid gasped, trying to regain his breath before realizing his healing ability had somehow been nullified. "Uchiha Raid, Konohagakure, Ninja ID 12-11-1987." Raid replied, giving all the information he was allowed to his captors.

"Now look this can be easy or this can be hard…" The man began before Raid cut him off, repeating the same information of his name, village, and ID number. "Fine then. Hard it is." The man said harshly as he slugged Raid in the stomach once more before turning and walking out. Two men entered the room after the older man had left.

"Lookie here brother." The shorter one said. "We get to play with a special one. This one has a tail."

Raid's two toned eyes widened as the taller man drew a cruel looking knife from the sheath on his hip. The man licked the blade. "Scream for me will ya? It makes this so much more fun." He said as he approached with a sadistic smile on his face.

Forest

Jade was speeding through the trees by herself, having left before Gaara or Kiba could keep up. She was sorry for leaving them behind, but felt that she had to do something or she'd go crazy. Suddenly she felt a searing pain slice all the way through the base of her smallest finger on her left hand, causing her to stop and look down in shock. Finding her hand unmarked, Jade rapidly figured out what was going on and launched herself into a flat out sprint in the direction they had known Raid to be traveling.

Raid's Cell

Raid panted slowly, sweating from the effort of not giving the two brothers the satisfaction of hearing him scream in pain.

Suddenly one of the bothers had a bright idea. "Hey brother, didn't he say he was an Uchiha?" The shorter one asked.

"Why yes he did dear brother." The one with the knife replied. "So we should remove his eyes. That way we can use them against the dirty bloodline carrying bastards and destroy them afterwords.

Raid's breath hitched as he heard what they planned to do. Throwing all of his suppressed youkai at the cuffs he wore, he managed to slip the tiniest bit of chakra through, just enough to activate the seal on the inside of his cheek. The seal's effect was, instantaneous, the room immediately went dark as his sight left him.

The two others in the room, feeling the chakra usage, spun to face their prisoner. "What did you do?"

"I activated an Uchiha panic seal." Raid said smugly. "It seals the Sharingan, removing the mutation from my eyes and preventing my seed from passing it on." He finished. _'It also has the unfortunate side effect of blinding the user… but that's a small price to pay for preserving the bloodline.'_

Forest

Jade came to a screeching halt when her vision suddenly dimmed and returned to normal. She dropped to her knees in shock as she realized what had happened to her brother. She hung her head in sadness for his sacrifice as tears gathered in her eyes before she saw something laying just to her left. Reaching out, she picked up the sheathed sword and looked it over. She whispered a short prayer and found herself holding a bamboo spear. Focusing, she returned it to its normal form and tucked the sheath into her belt next to her fans. She flitted through several hand seals before focusing for a moment and summoning Minato.

"Please return to Konoha and inform Lyn that I have found where he began his fight." Jade said.

"No problem." Minato replied as he vanished in a flash of yellow light.

Jade slowly walked in the direction the fight had taken, following the destroyed landscape. She entered a clearing nearby, there were several large chunks of ice laying around near the center of the field, and two large areas where the grass had been scorched away, leaving the dirt fused into glass. As she traced the battle he had fought, Jade collected all his discarded swords. She stopped for a moment when she encountered the large man Raid had killed before moving on to where Lyn had been summoned and then dismissed.

"How did they capture you?" Jade asked. "This should have never been enough to bring you down…" Jade mused. "The tracks coming in only showed just shy of two hundred… Wait… Oh no." She said as she noticed the tracks leaving the clearing. _'Rough estimation puts them at near two hundred thousand… How did their numbers grow that much in such a short time? Unless they reproduce like starfish… That would make sense.' _Jade thought. She heard a twig snap behind her and she spun, drawing two kunai as she slipped into a crouch. What she found was an oddly dressed man backing up with his hands in front of him.

"Whoa girl, put the knives away." The man said as he stepped back. He was wearing an overlarge white t-shirt, a huge white hoodie with black cuffs and a black design on the left side, a black ball cap reversed and cocked to one side, grey baggy sweatpants and skate shoes. "I'm Tyler. You lookin fo the one dey took here?"

"Yes. What do you know?" Jade asked as she relaxed her stance and slipped the kunai back into her pouch.

"Only where they're headed." Tyler replied.

"Tell me." Jade said as she slipped a hand back into her pouch for her kunai. "Now."

"Now why would I do a thing like that?" Tyler replied, completely at ease. "They got somethin' of mine I wanna protect, an I can't go against them til I get it back." He explained. "But I'll battle you for the info. You win, I tell you what I know, but you help me. I win an the folks I work for off ya."

"Fine. Let's do this." Jade growled as she crouched and whipped a kunai from her holster.

"Not that kinda battle girl." Tyler replied smoothly as he leaned against a nearby tree. "I don' think ya ever heard of the kinda battle I'm talking about, so I'll break it down for ya. We are going to go to a club in a nearby town that actually plays good music. Once there, you an me gonna have a dance off, with the crowd decidin the winner."

"What kind of dance?" Jade asked, curious.

"Breakdancing, freestyle, anything you think the crowd'll like." Tyler replied. "Hell you could even do ballet if you wanted. Wouldn't get ya points with the crowd, but ya could."

"And when is this competition going to take place?" Jade asked as she relaxed once more. "I'm kind of in a hurry."

"In the interest of fair play, tomorrow." Tyler said as he pulled a computer disc from his pocket and tossed it to her before turning and walking away, motioning for Jade to follow. "That gives you enough time to look over that so ya know what to expect." Tyler said. "And I suggest you dress for the occasion."

The next day

Jade stood outside the club near twilight. She had doffed her mesh shirt, skirt and boot and now wore her blue halter top along with a pair of black sweats with the left leg rolled half up her calf and a black and red hoodie tied around her waist. To finish the ensemble, she wore a white bandana under a black ball cap with a design on it, pulled low and cocked to one side and tennis shoes. ((A/N: Andie's outfit from Step Up 2 her battle with Tyler.)) She exhaled loudly before taking a moment to center herself and entering the club. She cut quickly through the crowd, heading toward the bar while looking for her opponent. She had just reached the bar when she felt like a weight had been dropped on her and most of her strength left her.

"What?" She wondered as she sagged against the bar before pushing herself upright.

"Sorry for not warnin' ya, but it's the only way this'll be fair." Tyler said as he stepped up next to Jade. "I can't use chakra except for one technique. I can create a seal array that temporarily seals the chakra of those in it. Not terribly useful as it takes forever to set up and all they have to do is walk away to reverse the effects, but it has the side effect of making all you super ninja normal."

"So what now?" Jade asked with a defiant glare. "You call your masters and have me carted off?"

"No." Tyler replied. "I give you a few to get readjusted to your current state, an then we battle. Just like we agreed." He said as he sat at the bar and ordered a cola.

Jade nodded as she gingerly hopped back and forth from one foot to the other, testing her body's response to her commands. She ordered herself a bottle of water. Once she had it in hand, she spun it once before catching it. She smiled before spinning it twice and catching it once more. She spun the bottle once more before walking it over the back of her hand and tossing it into the air. Watching the bottle closely, she allowed it to flip end over end twice before catching it in her left hand and repeating the process, catching it with her right before opening it and taking a drink.

"Do you open all your water bottles that way?" Tyler asked with a smirk.

"Just testing myself to see what I can still do." Jade replied with a happy look as she took a drink of water. "Now shall we dance?" She asked as she placed the bottle back on the bar and untied the hoodie from her waist and putting it on.

"Alright, you're on." Tyler said with a grin as he hopped up and headed for the dance floor. Tyler walked up to the DJ's stage and leaned over his table and talked to him for a minute before returning to Jade in the center of the floor.

"Alright ya'll! We got somethin' special tonight!" The DJ shouted. "But first I'm gonna need ya'll to clear the dance floor!" He continued as a new song began. The crowd quickly split and stepped back as several girls walked out and picked up a few of the floor panels. "Oh are those trampolines?" The DJ shouted as Jade stepped on one gingerly, testing its response while Tyler stepped down on one and bounced, testing his own way. With that, the song picked up and their battle began.

Saxyguy – I'm ending this here for a few reasons. One, I need to post something before one of the people I work with decides to throw me overboard while I sleep for delaying, and mostly because it gives me an easy place to do a scene break so I don't have to write the battle. Now I know that this might have some of you complaining, but the battle will be the exact scene from Step Up 2, so watch the movie. The only change will be the end, which I will write at the beginning of next chapter, so don't worry overmuch about that. Until next time, leave a review please.


	22. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Jade watched as Tyler flipped back off the dj's stand. As he seemed to float on the air, Jade lunged forward. After two running steps, she dropped to her knees and leaned back until her shoulders touched the floor, barely sliding under Tyler's descending feet. She slid up to the stage the dj's table was on and planted a foot on it where it met the floor before launching herself straight up. She stepped off the top of the stage and jumped up to the table before catapulting into a back flip with a hundred eighty degree twist. She landed behind Tyler facing away from him before stepping back between his legs and slipping under him to stand in front of him. She made a bring it motion to his face before sweeping her hat off and flicking it into the air and spinning away from him. She caught her hat in her right hand and rolled it across her shoulders to her left hand and spun it through her fingers before replacing it on her head and striking a pose as the song ended, her left hand on the bill of her hat with it pulled down to hide her face, head down and her right hand supporting her left arm.

There was several seconds of stunned silence before the room exploded into a deafening cacophony of cheers and whistles.

"Well that wasn't too bad." Tyler said as Jade adjusted her hat and turned to face him. "I don't know anyone flexible enough to pull off what you just did, and I thought the flip was impossible without chakra."

Jade smiled widely, something about this man was easy to like. "I train myself without my chakra on occasion." She explained. "Just in case I have to fight in a situation like this, or after exhausting myself."

"Makes more sense than most of the other ninja shit I've heard." Tyler replied.

"Now about the information you now owe me…" Jade said.

"That's just the thing, even with it; you don't have a whole lot of a shot." Tyler said. "First off, when I tell ya, you gotta take me wit ya." Tyler said.

"Fine. Just tell me where they are." Jade replied, clearly losing her patience.

"Slow down girly." Tyler said. "Ya ever heard of Deidara?" He asked.

"Missing nin from Iwa. Specializes in explosions and sabotage. Uses clay to make figurines that he can control from a distance and cause to explode. I've fought him before." Jade said.

"Well him and some unknown Akatsuki chick with purple hair are guarding this place." Tyler said.

"If they're lucky they might slow me down a bit." Jade replied. "Now I'm in a bit of a hurry, so where is this place?"

"I'll take you there." Tyler replied. "At least I might be able to get you inside without a fight, if we make it look like I captured you."

"How can I trust that you won't just slap cuffs on me and take me in for real?" Jade asked.

"You really can't." Tyler replied. "But you do have one massive advantage over me." He continued. "The anti chakra field I can create ain't mobile. It has to be tied to a structure, so I can't really effectively restrain you."

"One moment." Jade said as she stepped outside the club. She flipped through some hand seals and summoned Minato. "I need you to take some information back to Lyn." She said as she pulled out a map and handed it to Tyler. "Mark the location of where we're going on this. I have some people who need to meet us there."

"Okay." Tyler replied as he pulled a red marker out and circled a mountain nearly a day's travel from their location. "The base is underground, but they didn't take any effort to conceal the entrance." Tyler said as he handed the map to Minato.

"Try not to do anything too foolish until the rest get there." Minato said as he vanished in a flash of yellow light.

"Alright." Jade said as she held her wrists out to Tyler. "Arrest me. Let's do this."

"That's what I like ta hear." Tyler said as he bound Jade's hands behind her back. "You can still get out of this right?" He asked as he finished.

"Wouldn't be much of a ninja if I couldn't slip some ropes now would I?" Jade asked rhetorically.

"Yeah more like a non-ja if you ask me. Terrible what civilians think passes for ninja these days." Tyler said. "Now let's go.

The trip took slightly longer then Jade expected, but that was mostly due to the fact that Tyler couldn't travel as fast as she could. Even so, they made decent time and, in less than a day, they had arrived.

Raid's cell

"Well you are an unlucky one aren't you, un?" A male voice spoke teasingly.

Raid weakly lifted his head to glare blindly in the direction of the voice. "Why are you keeping me here?" He spat. "What do you want? You aren't even at war with Konoha." He continued in a voice rough from disuse. "All you've succeeded in doing is pissing off my clan."

"Oh we don't fear the Uchiha. They're mostly dead anyway, un." The voice spoke in the same teasing manner.

Raid laughed darkly for a moment before coughing in pain. "The Uchiha aren't the ones you should worry about." Raid said as he sagged weakly against the wall, allowing his shackles to hold him up.

"And who should we be worried about, un?" the voice asked.

Raid looked up through his bangs, his milky sightless eyes somehow transfixing the speaker. "You'll see." He replied in a mocking tone. "Or maybe you won't, but either way, I will be free."

Konoha

Lyn was eating lunch with Kurenai and Kin when Minato appeared next to the table in a burst of yellow light.

"Gather everyone." He said without preamble. "She found him." He finished as he handed Lyn a scroll.

Lyn opened the scroll and spared the paper a quick glance to see a map with the location marked before she rolled it back up and the four of them vanished to gather the clan.

Less than an hour later, Kiba, Naruto, Sasuke, Gaara, Lyn, Kin, and Kurenai were gathered outside Konoha's gates.

"Our objective is simple." Lyn said. "We go and we get Raid, and we kill anyone who tries to stop us." As she finished speaking, Minato landed in a crouch next to her.

"I can greatly speed your trip." He offered. "But if I do, I won't be able to help with the fight."

"Just get us there." Kurenai said as she gripped the hilt of her katana. "We'll handle the rest."

"Alright here we go." Minato said as he sped through a long series of hand seals before slapping both hands to the ground. His brow furrowed in concentration as a complex seal array drawn in yellow light crawled along the ground from his hands until it encompassed the entire group. Lightning crackled along the perimeter of the seal before Minato gave a shout of exertion, causing all eight of them to vanish with a loud bang.

Elsewhere

Tyler and Jade approached the guard post that marked the entrance to the base.

"Let me do the talking." Tyler mumbled as they neared the two guards. "And try to keep your temper in check."

"No promises." Jade replied quietly as the two guards noticed them.

Both guards looked up lazily. One stood from his seat on the ground while the other kicked away from the wall he had been leaning on.

"Halt!" The first shouted as he placed a hand on the hilt of his sword. The other shifted his spear to a ready grip. "Who is that?" He asked, indicating Jade with a jerk of his chin.

"Caught this one snooping about for the spy we caught." Tyler replied as he shoved Jade forward roughly.

Jade stumbled several paces, playing weak before the sword carrying guard caught her.

"Stand on your own bitch!" The guard shouted as he shoved her upright and backhanded her sharply.

The blow wasn't powerful, more noise than force, but Jade allowed it to snap her head to the side. She turned to face the guard that had struck her with a glare. "When I leave here, I will kill you." She growled as she memorized his face. He was plain, his only distinguishing mark a scar that cut across his right eye.

The guard laughed at her. "Take her inside and toss her in the cell with that spy. Maybe seeing what we did to him will help her realize what she just got herself into."

Jade's blood boiled at the casual mention of Raid's torture, but she restrained herself. She calmed the fires of her rage and replaced them with a cold, calculating thirst for revenge. Tyler led Jade inside. Once they were alone Jade spoke.

"I have to act quickly." She said. "I can't let them put me in a cell otherwise this gets harder than it already is." She continued as she calmly slipped the ropes binding her wrists. "You can either come with me, or I can knock you out and make it look like I escaped. Your choice."

"Take me with you. I need your help to rescue Andie." Tyler said.

"Okay lets go then." Jade said.

Just as they turned to head deeper into the base, a man stepped around the corner in front of them. He stared at Tyler and Jade for a moment before opening his mouth to raise the alarm. Before the man could even inhale to shout, Jade flicked both hands out. Her shuriken buried itself in the man's throat, cutting his vocal chords and blocking his airway while the kunai that followed slipped between his teeth and punched half out the back of his neck, severing his spine and ending his life somewhat painlessly.

"Well it looks like I need to be ready to fight too." Tyler said as he unzipped his hoodie. He slipped both hands inside his sweater and withdrew two odd looking handheld devices. "Meet Ebony and Ivory." Tyler said as he held the two devices out, allowing Jade to see that they were black and white. "Twin forty five semi-automatic pistols." Tyler explained. Seeing Jade's confused look, he continued. "Mostly useless against you ninja types cuz ya move fast enough to get out the way, but for your normal folk like dese…" He said as two men turned the corner to find the first fallen man. He held both hands out and squeezed the triggers. Both guns jumped in his hands and gave out a loud crack. Jade watched as both men fell dead next to the first.

Jade hummed in surprise. "Rather effective." She commented. "Not very stealthy though…" She concluded as they headed deeper into the base.

Clearing, a few miles away

Lyn and the others appeared in a flash of yellow light and a crack of displaced air that stripped most of the leaves off the surrounding trees. As the others took defensive stances and scanned the woods warily, Minato sagged to his knees and panted. "That was harder than I thought it would be." He muttered as he sat back on his heels. "Map." He demanded, holding out his hand. Lyn handed it to him and he unrolled it on the ground. "We are here." He said as he pointed at a spot on the map then looked up to check the position of the sun. "The base should be about ten minutes run that way." He said as he pointed north east. "If you give it a few minutes, I'm sure you'll have a smoke cloud to follow." He said just as a loud explosion ripped through the forest, followed by a billowing cloud of smoke in the direction Minato had been pointing. "Well that should be your cue. I have to rest now." He said as he faded out of sight.

"Well lets go then." Lyn said as she launched herself into the trees, followed immediately by Kin and Kurenai, then the others.

Base, a few minutes earlier

After some exploring, Jade and Tyler came to what appeared to be a natural cavern. The room was huge in the center of it stood two figures wearing black cloaks with red clouds on them. Jade stopped and glared for a moment before speaking to Tyler. "Go back to the last intersection and make sure no one else comes here."

Tyler looked at the two standing across from them doubtfully. "You gonna be able to take both on your own?"

Jade smirked darkly, her eyes cold as ice. "Yeah it'll be no problem." Tyler nodded and went back the way they had come from as Jade drew a kunai. Without taking her eyes off the two Akatsuki, Jade scratched a quick seal in the wall with her knife. As she stepped into the cavern, a blue wall erupted from the seal and quickly blocked the path back.

"What's the wall for?" The purple haired girl next to Deidara asked.

"Normally my response would be 'to protect someone'." Jade said as she vanished in a puff of smoke and appeared at the other entrance to the cavern before blocking it similarly. "But this time I think I'm going to go with keeping the two of you here so I can kick the living shit out of you." Jade replied, causing the purple haired girl to laugh. Deidara, on the other hand, kept a straight face and slipped his hands into the pouches at his belt where the sound of chewing was heard. "Now I know your name Deidara…" Jade said as she pointed her kunai at the blonde. "But who are you?" She asked as she flung her knife at the girl.

The kunoichi skillfully twisted out of the way, but the knife still caught her sleeve below the shoulder, tearing it open. "My name is Ayane." She replied as she inspected her sleeve. A thin line of blood appeared on her bare arm, proving she hadn't been quite as fast as she had thought. "And I guess I shouldn't be underestimating you." She concluded, causing Jade to grin.

"That's the understatement of the century." Jade said.

"Well no matter how skilled you may be, you are still outnumbered!" Deidara shouted as he flung several clay birds at Jade.

Then the explosions started.

Raid's cell

Raid looked up as the second explosion rocked the small room that had been all he knew for the past few days. "Looks like it's time to go." He said as he stood and walked away from the wall, the chains parting where he had weakened them in preparation for his rescue. He took several steps toward the center of the room then whistled. As the sound echoed around the room, his ears twitched this way and that. Raid smiled as a visual picture of the room formed as the echoes returned to him. He walked up to the door and broke the hinges with a sharp blow before proceeding into the hall.

Saxyguy – That's a wrap on this chapter folks. Already have the first bit of the next one written, but that doesn't mean that I will be able to get it to you any sooner. The job just doesn't leave one with much free time.

Leo – Has anyone told you recently your excuses suck?

Saxyguy – No. Why?

Leo – Cuz they do. (Starts to walk away.)

Saxyguy – Wow. I think this is the first chapter I've ended that I haven't been beaten with something… (Gets pegged with a frying pan.) I retract my previous statement. Leave a review folks.


	23. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Raid hid against the wall as another group of men dashed by. He was nearly out and he knew it. He inhaled softly through his nose, allowing the scent of fresh air to guide him toward the way out.

As the clatter of booted feet faded behind him, Raid shoved himself away from the wall and sprinted for the exit. He was less than a hundred yards away from the end of the tunnel when he felt a trip wire break against his shin. Instinct and the speed of his sprint saved his life as he pitched into a roll to avoid the kunai fired out of hidden holes in the walls and floor.

Reflex caused him to look over his shoulder as several of the kunai fell back to the floor. His sightless eyes stared for a few seconds before he sighed and turned toward the smell of nature once more. "This shit was so much easier when I could still see…" He mused as he mentally tallied the chances of another trap this near the exit.

As he rose to leave, a sudden outbreak of shouting followed by a cry of "Tsuuga!" gave him reason to pause. His ears twitched as he heard footsteps approach behind him.

"Raid? Is that you?" A familiar male voice asked.

Raid reflexively looked at the speaker. "Gaara, you have no idea how good it is to hear your voice."

"Shit man! What the hell happened to your eyes?" Gaara asked as he hurried over and pulled Raid's right arm over his shoulders, supporting his friend.

"I had to activate the Uchiha panic seal, otherwise they planned on cutting my eyes out." Raid said as Gaara led him back the way they had come.

"We tested that seal though." Gaara said. "It didn't even last a minute when you tried it."

"I'm not sure what they gave me, but they somehow blocked my demonic regeneration." Raid said as they turned a corner. A wave of familiar scents hit him before someone slammed into him, knocking him out of Gaara's hold and to the ground.

"Don't you ever do that to me again!" Lyn cried as she leaned over him. Raid could feel her tears drip onto his face as she continued softly. "Don't ever send me away like that again."

Raid sat up and wrapped his arms around Lyn. "Shhh… It's okay. We're together again…" He said in a soothing tone.

As Raid comforted Lyn, Kurenai noticed him staring off into space. She shifted to see his face better and gasped in shock, both hands coming up to cover her mouth as tears gathered in her eyes.

Raid replied before she could even speak. "My eyes right?" He asked. "They must look kinda creepy."

He finished causing the others to look at his eyes as well.

"What happened?" Kin asked as she and Kurenai knelt down on either side of him.

"Somehow they blocked my ability to heal." Raid said. "Once they knew who I was, they threatened to cut out my eyes to use the Sharingan. After that I activated the Uchiha panic seal."

"Maybe it's temporary?" Kiba suggested.

"No." Sasuke replied sadly. "The seal is permanent."

"I was talking about whatever blocked his healing." Kiba clarified. "Last time you two messed with this seal-thingy it only lasted a few seconds cuz he healed himself."

"No. This is too big for that." Lyn said as she studied Raid's face, tears still tracking down her cheeks. "The only reason he healed last time, was because his healing fought off the effects before the seal could alter his DNA to prevent the bloodline from being passed on. I'm so sorry…" She finished in a whisper as she gently kissed Raid.

"Excuse me Lyn, I need to see something." Naruto said as she crouched behind her former tenant. Lyn pulled back and shifted to one side, allowing Naruto to look at Raid's face. "Where did you tattoo the seal?"

"Inside of my right cheek." Raid replied calmly, having already accepted his blindness. "Why?"

"Because one of the things Ero-sennin and I spent a great deal of time on was seals." Naruto replied. "My dad was a prodigy and I seem to have inherited his talent. Now I'm not making any promises, but if I can study the seal back in Konoha, with Ero-sennin's help, I may be able to come up with a way to remove it."

"Now lets get out of here." Kin said as she rose and helped Raid up.

"You guys go." Kiba said. "Take Raid back and start studying that seal-thingy. I'm going to go find Jade."

"I'm going with you." Gaara said, prompting Kiba to shake his head.

"Go with them Gaara. Remember, we haven't seen that undead army or whatever it was. They may need you." Kiba said. "Besides, barring Jade and present company, there is no one in this base badass enough to even slow me and Akamaru down."

Gaara nodded his head solemnly. "Be careful. See you back in Konoha."

Kiba smirked confidently before tossing Gaara a jaunty salute and turning to jog deeper into the base.

Elsewhere

Jade leaned back to her right, throwing her left arm out to drop her shoulder out of the way of the clay bird Deidara had thrown at her. She dropped her left hand to the ground and flipped all the way over and back to her feet, resettling herself into a ready stance. "Alright. I'll admit, this is one of the best workouts I've had in a while." She said as she kept a close eye on Deidara and Ayane.

"Well we are good." Ayane said.

"Now I didn't say that." Jade replied with a smirk. "You just have numbers on your side and I don't want to hurt him." She said as she indicated Deidara. "And the jutsu I need to use to end this takes too long to set up against the both of you."

"Sounds like excuses to me." Ayane said as Deidara paused and a strange look came over his face for a moment before it passed.

"Sounds like it's a good thing I decided to come look for you then." Kiba said as the blue chakra wall blocking the passage to Tyler flickered for a moment, allowing him and Akamaru to step through.

"Kiba?" Jade said in shock. "I thought you guys were going to get Raid and leave?" She asked.

"I sent the rest of them back with Raid to study the seal he used on himself." Kiba said as he crossed the distance between them in two bounds and took a defensive stance next to Jade while Akamaru crouched beside him, growling. "Now which one do I get to have fun with?"

"Keep an eye on the chick." Jade replied. "Be careful, she's fast."

Kiba smiled as he turned to Ayane and took two steps forward and beginning to circle to her left while Akamaru circled right. Ayane shifted into a defensive stance as Kiba's stance shifted to a clearly offensive one as he and Akamaru cut her off from Deidara and Jade. "Just the three of us now. Odds seem a little reversed now don't they?" Kiba asked smugly.

"Oh I don't mind." Ayane said as she slowly backed toward the wall to avoid being forced to choose which target to track. "After all, I'm good enough for two."

"I really doubt that." Kiba said, his confident smirk never leaving his face. Without warning Kiba and Akamaru lunged at Ayane.

Jade and Deidara watched Ayane and Kiba fight for a few moments before turning back to one another. "They're good, un?" Deidara commented as he stuck his hands in his pockets for more clay.

"You have no idea. Kiba is just playing with her right now." Jade replied. _'Now how should I go about this?'_ She thought as she mentally reviewed her abilities to see which set matched what she wanted to do. _'I think I'll do it that way…'_ She thought as she prepared herself to fight once more.

"So why do you not want to kill me anyway?" Deidara asked as he threw two clay birds at Jade.

"I'll tell you later." Jade replied as she countered the two birds with a pair of kunai, causing them to explode before they got to her. As the smoke from the explosions cleared, Jade finished her hand seals and slapped a palm to the ground. "Mokuton: Soutei Kontei no Jutsu!" She shouted, causing vines to erupt from the ground around Deidara and tangle his legs.

"Interesting." Deidara said as he drew a kunai and quickly slashed his way free of the entangling vines. "But not good enough!" He continued as he threw the kunai at Jade and lunged forward in its wake.

Jade dropped her right shoulder back and began to spin out of the way. As Deidara came within reach, she grabbed the front of his cloak with her left hand and continued her spin, hurling Deidara over her shoulder head first.

Deidara tucked into a ball midair and rolled as he hit the ground. Coming to his feet in a smooth motion with his back to Jade, he spun to face her, hurling two more clay birds as he did. Jade countered with two shuriken before using the explosions as cover to begin another set of hand seals. Before she could finish, Deidara burst out of the ground in front of her and landed a solid uppercut on her chin, interrupting her seals and causing her to lose the jutsu. As her feet left the ground, Jade brought her left knee sharply up into Deidara's ribs before catching it under his right arm. Using her trapped leg as an anchor, Jade snapped herself forward and slammed her forehead into Deidara's in a vicious head butt. Their momentum suddenly reversed, the two combatants landed in a heap. They grappled for a few moments before Jade managed to free and arm and pin her opponent to the ground by staking several kunai through his cloak.

Jade sat back on her heels with a sigh. "I win." She said as she began a third set of hand seals while straddling her foe.

"Not quite." Deidara replied. "Boom."

Jade had barely enough time to desperately launch herself back and curl up to protect her torso before Deidara exploded. She was thrown back violently, trailing smoke until she hit the ground and rolled to her feet. As she slid to a stop, Jade finished another set of seals and slapped both her palms to the ground. "Mokuton: Tsumibito Juujika no Jutsu" She said.

A large wooden cross exploded out of the ground behind Deidara. Vines shot from the cross and entangled him before ripping him from his feet and slamming him back first against the cross and binding him in place. He struggled to free himself as the vines wrapped tighter around him, even pinning his fingers individually to prevent him using jutsu. "What the hell is this, un?"

"Don't bother." Jade replied as she leaped up to land on the cross to Deidara's left. "This capture jutsu was designed by the Shodaime Hokage. He used it to hold the great Madara Uchiha himself in their fight." She explained as she began another set of seals. "Now I win." She said as she finished her seals and placed a hand on the back of Deidara's head before twisting and pulling away sharply. There was a sound akin to breaking glass before Deidara slumped on the cross. Jade looked up to check on Kiba's fight across the cavern.

Kiba squared off against Ayane as Akamaru circled the two combatants while growling. Ever impatient, Kiba charged at Ayane with a war cry, right fist cocked back to deliver a punishing strike. Ayane spun on her left foot and sent her right heel speeding toward Kiba's head. At the last moment, Kiba ducked and caught her ankle in his right hand, stopping her kick. As he held her right foot, Kiba slid his left foot forward into her instep and jerked on her captured limb, putting her off balance and over extended above him. As Ayane started to fall, Kiba struck with his left hand, claws leading, as he went for her throat. Instead of blocking, Ayane snapped her head back and relaxed, allowing herself to fall away from Kiba's attack.

When he missed, Kiba pulled down on Ayane's right leg, flipping her over his shoulder and slamming her face first into the ground. Keeping his grip on her ankle, Kiba dropped onto her back, pinning left arm under a knee and grabbing her right wrist to control her. "Jade, now!" Kiba shouted.

Seeing what he wanted, Jade flicked through several hand seals and slapped her right hand to the ground. "Mokuton: Keiriku Sute-ji no jutsu." She said, causing a wooden platform to rise out of the ground under Kiba and Ayane. Vines wormed in between the purple haired woman and Kiba, pulling her from his grip and binding her in a kneeling position with her head laid out on a raised block, as if she were to be beheaded. "So now what do you want to do with her?" Jade asked as Kiba stood and dusted himself off.

"Well I figured that the people in charge wouldn't trust any of the one's with seals with knowing anything truly vital," Kiba began as he stepped off the wooden platform and walked toward Jade. "So the way I see it, we take her in and check her for a seal. If she has one, we just rescued her. If she doesn't, we interrogate her."

"That and you don't like killing women." Jade said as she unsealed some rope from a scroll so they could bind Ayane.

"That and I don't like killing women." Kiba agreed as he helped Jade bind their new captive. "So what next?" Kiba asked as they worked. "Do we go home?"

"Soon." Jade replied. "I have to keep a promise first though." She continued as Kiba picked up the bound purple haired kunoichi while she tossed Deidara over her shoulder. "This way." After hooking up with Tyler, who gave one of Andie's shirts to Akamaru to smell, they rapidly tracked down Tyler's ward before leaving the base.

With Raid

Lyn, Gaara, Kin, and Raid crouched on a branch, resting as they waited for Kurenai, Sasuke, and Naruto to return from scouting the next leg of their trip back. They had made good time and were only a few hours from the border. With barely a whisper of sound, Naruto landed on the branch next to them.

"How's it look?" Gaara asked as he finished rolling a joint and tucked in behind his ear for later.

"We're sunk." Naruto replied.

"What do you mean we're sunk?" Lyn asked.

"I mean we can't get back to Fire country this way and we don't have enough time to go around." Naruto shot back. "The army Raid was tracking is a lot bigger now and they have the border covered so well we won't get through without a fight, which we can't afford. And to top it off, if I don't make a go of removing that seal in the next few days it might never come off."

"So now what?" Kin asked.

"If we offer help quelling the war, we might be able to go to the rebels in Kiri." Raid suggested.

Everyone was silent as they considered their options for a moment before a huge blast of fire lit the night sky, Naruto's signal that they had been discovered.

"Out of time." Gaara said. "You're a clone right?" He asked, getting a nod from Naruto. "Okay take these memories back. Summon Lyn and Kin. I'll take Raid and start heading for Kiri. Hopefully we'll run into the clans. Break away and escape as soon as you can and follow." Gaara ordered. "Got that?"

"Yep." The clone replied before dispelling.

Gaara grabbed Raid before leaping off into the trees towards the village hidden in mists.

The two female kitsune waited for several seconds before Lyn smacked a hand to her forehead. "I never taught them to summon."

"Naruto can summon toads." Kin said.

"Yeah but the jutsu to summon demons is different." Lyn said as she launched herself in the direction of Naruto's signal had come from. "Remind me to correct that oversight when we get back to Konoha."

With Naruto

Naruto, Sasuke, and Kurenai fell back steadily before the army chasing them to avoid being surrounded. Naruto perked up as her clone dispelled. "Lyn and Kin are on their way." She said. "Gaara has Raid and they're falling back to Kiri. We're gonna try to link up with Mei and the clans."

"Well we're going to have to figure out a way to fight these things." Sasuke said as they hopped back again. "Or slow them down at least. Otherwise we're going to overtake Gaara soon."

"I have an idea." Naruto said as Lyn and Kin showed up. "Do you think you can give me a few seconds without making more of them?"

"Sure." Lyn replied sarcastically. "Any special requests?"

"Try to concentrate as many as you can in a small area, and be ready to move quick." Naruto replied.

"Got it." Sasuke said as he launched himself toward the approaching enemies.

"You don't ask for much do you?" Lyn asked before following Sasuke.

"Time to go to work." Kurenai remarked to Kin as the two leaped off after Sasuke and Lyn.

"Hope this works." Naruto said as she raised bother her hands in front of her body as if holding ball. First a rasengan formed in her hands. It grew for several seconds until it was the size of a basketball. Scrunching her face in concentration, Naruto poured wind chakra into the ball in her hands. It fluctuated for a few seconds, then stabilized with four rotating blades around the axis of the sphere. Looking up, Naruto saw that the other three had succeeded in forcing the patrol of fifty or so into a clearing. _'Perfect.' _She thought as she approached the battle from the treetops. Naruto leaped out over the clearing and cocked her arm back to throw the bladed sphere, pouring more wind chakra into it as she did, causing the blades to grow and spin faster, making the ball look like a buzz saw.

"Clear out!" Naruto shouted, warning the other Konoha nin to spring away as she threw the ball down at the center of the group below her. "Futon: Rasenshuriken!" She called out as she released her jutsu. She watched calmly as her attack hit the ground and immediately the entire enemy patrol vanished in a cloud of howling winds and flying dust. She calmly replaced herself with a log as her technique continued to wreak havoc on the majority of the open ground in front of them.

"How long did it take for the ones you burned to start coming back?" Naruto asked Lyn as the winds from her attack began to die down.

"Two, maybe two and a half minutes." Lyn replied. "What was that?"

"That is what happens when you add wind element chakra to a Rasengan." Naruto explained. "Near as me and Ero-sennin can tell, the rotation of the chakra combined with the wind element create countless tiny blades that rip you apart at the cellular level."

"And you can just fling those around." Kin stated in shock.

"Well as you saw, they take a while to make, and they certainly aren't cheap in the chakra department either." Naruto said with a shrug. "I can only comfortably use that move ten or so times in a day."

"Still if every one you pull off is that size…" Kurenai trailed off.

"You can take out a fairly large amount of the army yourself." Kin finished as the dust from Naruto's technique began to settle.

"Only if that worked." Naruto replied. "I'd hate to think of how many I just made if it didn't." She finished as the clearing below them become visible once more. All of the ninja with the exception of Naruto stared in awe at the destruction the blonde had wrought.

"How long has it been?" Sasuke asked.

"About five minutes." Kurenai replied

"Let's give it another ten to see if that took." Naruto said. "Then we'll follow Gaara."

A further ten minutes gave no sign that the creatures Naruto destroyed were going to regenerate. "And that folks, is how you deal with an army of soulless abominations." Naruto said as she dusted her hands off smugly. "Now let's catch up to Gaara."

"Not to be the bearer of bad news or anything," Kin began as they tree hopped in the direction Gaara had taken. "But as awesome as Naruto is, she's still only one person. How are we supposed to destroy an entire army of those things?"

"Well we really only have two options." Sasuke replied. "Naruto can try to teach all of us Futon: Rasenshuriken, which probably won't work as none of the rest of us are wind natured, or we find and kill the one controlling the technique."

"With a jutsu this complex, it's likely that they have multiple people controlling it." Kurenai observed. "But if we get enough of them, the army should collapse."

"Well then. What are we waiting for?" Sasuke said.

It just came to my attention that I have not translated any of my original jutsu that I've used thus far. So here they are.

Futon: Heki Hira no Jutsu (Wind style: Burst palm technique) Rather self-explanatory, creates a burst of wind from the users palm.

Mokuton: Soutei Kontei no Jutsu (Wood style: Binding Roots technique) entangles a targets legs with roots and vines

Mokuton: Tsumibito Juujika no Jutsu (Wood style: Sinner's Cross technique) a capture jutsu designed by the first hokage. Capable of holding Madera Uchiha (When he's not intangible)

Mokuton: Keiriku Sute-ji no jutsu (Wood style: Execution Stage technique) capture jutsu. Binds the target in a pose like they're about to be beheaded.


End file.
